Volatile
by alexb49
Summary: Sokka's had a taste and he's not quite sure he can give it up. Follow up to Explosive. Sokka/Zuko. Much mature content of a sexual nature as well as immature content of a sexual nature.
1. Volatile

I make no money from ATLA or this story. I do not own it, no I do not. Much thanks to avocado_love for beta and smacking me upside the head. All mistakes are my own. Reviews and criticism helps me get better. Please throw down a few words, whether praise or suggestions on where to improve is most welcome.

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_Oh. Crap._

"What did you do?."

Sokka turned toward the sound of Katara's voice, wilting slightly as she turned her baleful glare at him. He tried not to look too guilty. "Something happened between you two. " He let himself breathe a small sigh of relief when she resumed staring daggers at Zuko's back. " Something you're not telling me."

Azula wasn't the only sister prepared to do evil things to her brother if she needed to. Sokka's vague report back to Katara on his spying mission hadn't helped. She had refused to believe a word of it. _This is going to be the worst day ever._

His eyes flicked nervously over to the object of their discussion. Zuko was helping Teo fix the axle on his chair and doing a terrible job of pretending to not look back in their direction.

His mouth went dry. "We had words." _Long sweaty moaning words._ He was incredibly pleased that his voice didn't crack.

He watched the anger suddenly drain from her. "I shouldn't have made you follow him," she berated herself. "For Aang's sake, I don't want you and Zuko fighting. "

Sokka wished more of his fights had that kind of outcome. His overheated brain took a Zuko-detour, replaying some details from the day before. He failed to notice her frown shift to a small smile and startled at the feel of her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice filled with concern. "It was selfish of me to put you in that position."

_Position_. He liked that word. What a great word. Position. On my back had been pretty good. Maybe backing him up against a wall would be nice….

_Hey! She's waiting for you to say something!_ "No apologies necessary." He couldn't keep the squeak out of his words that time. _Stupid voice! _

So he tried again. "I'd do him… IT!... I ah… I'd do _it_ again in a heartbeat." _Gah! Brain, you are not helping!_

He didn't wait for her to respond. "Well, that settles that." He scrambled up and rubbed his hands together. "Ahh.. I'm gonna go… you know. Hunt and stuff. For a bit. Bye!"

Her shoulders slumped in confusion as she watched Sokka's rapidly retreating back. "Such a weirdo," she muttered to herself.

_______________________________

Sokka kicked the ground in frustration as he came up on another empty circle of rope. He began grumpily unknotting the rope from its tether to free the lower tree branch from the snare he had set. _What a waste of an afternoon._

He shouldn't have gone hunting so distracted but it had been a good excuse to keep his distance from the others. His brain had been replaying highlights from his demonstration on how to defuse-a-firebender all day and his dick really liked that plan. The last thing he wanted to do was face the rest of the group sporting a boner.

Well, he wouldn't mind facing Zuko with a boner, but probably not in front of everyone else. Probably.

The proximity of the words _Zuko_ and _boner_ in his thoughts distracted him enough that the tree branch holding the snare slipped from his hands, whipping him across the cheek. _Could this day possibly get worse? _He growled and said nothing. He knew the God of Irony would make sure something comedic and painful would happen to him if he did.

Frustrated in more ways than one, Sokka made his way back to the temple. He couldn't stop thinking about feelings. The heat of Zuko's mouth. Thigh against thigh. The little shivers Zuko made when he…

_Damn_. He wanted it. Again and again, as often and in as many ways as possible.

He couldn't _not_ talk to Zuko. How was he supposed to start this conversation? _Hey there. Yeah. Do you remember yesterday when you rode me so hard I thought my dick would snap in two? Can we do that again?_ That would go over well.

His path back to camp took him past where Aang was going through some firebending moves under Zuko's critical eye. He quietly took the long way around them to the stairs to take a seat, careful to avoid distracting them while they worked.

"You need to time your breathing better. 'Before the foot or hand strikes comes the breath'" Zuko adjusted the position of Aang's feet. "You're short, so use it to your advantage. You need to sink even lower to uproot your opponent more effectively." Zuko squatted impossibly low, weighted on one foot and struck out with the other to demonstrate. He rose easily and called "Again!"

Sokka wouldn't have admitted to it under pain of death but watching the guys spar was pretty damn cool. They both moved with grace and power that made him a little bit jealous. He could see the differences between the two styles: Aang's feet almost floating above the ground at times, slipping around his opponent like an eel. Zuko was more aggressive, taking the most direct route, attacking through his opponent, spending very little time evading or redirecting.

Aang sunk low, driving his foot forward, creating a curtain of flame.

"Better," Zuko praised grudgingly. "That's enough for now. We'll take it up again in the morning." They bowed to each other.

Aang looked up from his bow, finally noticing Sokka watching from the long stone steps. "Hi Sokka!" Aang waved to him then blushed as his stomach rumbled loudly. "Whoa! I think dinner's calling me. I'll see you guys later!" He was off in a yellow and blue flash, following the smell of food drifting into the courtyard, leaving him alone with Zuko.

_Uh oh._ He hadn't quite been prepared for that. Particularly not a shirtless and sweaty Zuko.

Zuko paced towards him with a scowl.

Sokka absently scratched at his face, desperately thinking about how to get out of there with the least amount of burnt flesh possible. _Fuck. He changed his mind. He hates my guts. He is totally going to kick my ass right now. _He spouted off the first thing that came to mind. "Hey you guys sure were looking great out there, you know it's really nice…"

"You're hurt."

"… that you figured out that whole dragon thing and… what?" It took a second for his mouth to catch up with his brain. He followed Zuko's line of sight to his own hand and saw blood. Confused, he swiped at where he had been scratching his cheek and pulled away even more blood. Had the branch really nailed him that hard?

"Hold still." Zuko bunched up the towel and moved in close to dab at Sokka's face. The freshly opened scratch from his tree smack earlier stung a little at the contact. Sokka inhaled sharply through his nose and got a huge whiff of something. _A little musky, a little spicy, cinnamon maybe?_ _Spirits, were all firebenders a walking aphrodisiac?_

"Your sister should take a look at it."

It took him a moment to realize Zuko had pulled away to gather his things. His brain had been too busy exchanging notes with his dick about what Zuko smelled like to take notice.

Wait. No beatdown? Things were looking up.

"Thanks. I didn't notice it when it happened." _Okay. Need to stop thinking with the peener and have The Big Talk._ He tried to start again. "You know, I was wondering if you wanted to talk about yesterWHAT is THAT?"

Zuko looked up startled, holding a scabbard of… something in his hands. "Oooh!" Sokka clapped in delight and bounced to Zuko's side, The Big Talk forgotten. "Lemme see!" Zuko bemusedly handed him the weapon.

He ran his hand over the decorated overlay and saw that it was a twin bladed weapon. Sokka put on his best pleading expression. "Can I try them out?"

"Sure."

"Sweet!" He eagerly took the interlocking hilt and drew it from its scabbard. He tested the weight of the dual blades combined and pulled them apart to admire them individually. "What are they?" he asked in awe. The weighting was slightly different from Space Sword but they were balanced, perfectly even in either hand. He gave himself some distance and swung them experimentally. _Nice!_

"They're dual dao swords. I haven't had much chance to practice with them since I got here. I figured I'd get some time in today."

_Oh, today was about to get all sorts of awesome._ "Would you spar with me?" Sokka held his breath, hoping Zuko wouldn't laugh in his face.

"I can but I don't know if your club would be that great of a choice…"

Sokka twinned the dao together and sheathed it. "No, no, no! I have a sword. A real sword. Made from space metal!"

"Space metal," Zuko repeated blankly.

Sokka thrust the dao back into Zuko's hands. "I'll show it to you! Then we can spar! After dinner maybe? If that's okay with you?"

D id Zuko just get stung by a dragonwasp? _No, wait! That's a smile. I think._

Zuko nodded. "After dinner is fine."

_Definitely a smile._ Sokka was a little surprised at how pleased this made him.

_________________

_Fuck!_

He ducked under a left handed swing and nailed Zuko in the calf with the point of his scabbard, forcing Zuko to stumble forward a few steps. Zuko recovered and turned on Sokka with a pants-wettingly creepy grin on his face and Sokka danced back, wiping the sweat dripping from his face with his forearm.

_I just had to ask for this, didn't I? _

They had sparred tentatively at first, not sure what to expect from each other. Then they got down to business.

The dual blades had thrown Sokka off for a little while but he figured it out. He already knew from watching Zuko teach Aang that Zuko preferred the most direct route of attack. So he evaded, redirected and generally made himself a pain in the ass. And that was something he was damn good at.

Zuko tapped the side of his thigh, signaling a submission. Zuko relaxed and bowed formally so he followed suit. "I'm impressed," said Zuko, still wearing that scary, scary grin.

"Thanks! Not so bad yourself." As he gathered up his water skin and took a big swig, he caught Zuko limping slightly out of the corner of his eye. It was the same leg that Sokka had taken out at the end of their match. "You okay?"

Zuko grimaced a little and waved him off. "Just a cramp." Zuko hiked his pant leg up to examine his leg.

"Eugh! Gross!" Sokka came in close to inspect the outline of the bruise he had caused and watch in morbid fascination as the muscles twitched out of control underneath it. Muscle cramps something he was all too familiar with growing up in the frozen South. He kneeled down without thinking and began massaging the area.

"Man, I am so sorry! I didn't think I had hit you that hard and I should have been more careful." He knew he was babbling but he couldn't help it. He watched the tremors cease as he vigorously rubbed the calf muscle under his hands. "And I hope you're not pissed at me. I can't tell but I would have expected you to tell me to shut up by now and did I mention I was really sorry?"

Still no response. He forced himself to look up. _Hoo boy._

Zuko was watching him, breathing harder than he had during their workout. Sokka's dick was happy to point out the flush in the other man's face and the way his lips were slightly parted. _Thanks for the help, observant penis._

He stood up and almost got lost in a wave of Zukosmell. "Umm. I was wondering if you wanted to talk about things and I'm pretty sure the only way this would be more awkward was if we were doing this in front of my sister and I never, ever, ever want to think about my sister and us having hot sweaty monkey sex in the same thought again especially since I'm a little fired up right now but mmph!"

There was a tongue in his mouth. Well, in addition to the one he usually had. Sokka sucked on it gently, savoring the feel of it running over his teeth. The extra tongue left his mouth but was sneakily drawing in his bottom lip in between sharp teeth. Getting nibbled on wasn't so bad.

He felt Zuko's lips withdraw but was a little too dazed to respond.

Zuko had that smartass smirk on his face as he said, "Good to know that's one way to get you to stop talking."

Sokka cleared his throat. "So I take it that you would be okay with a rematch?"

"If you meant sparring? Then yes. Or us having 'hot sweaty monkey sex'?" Sokka almost came in his pants watching Zuko's mouth echoing his words. "Also yes."

_I think this just became the best day ever._ "Oh good!" He hooked behind the heel of Zuko's good leg and kicked it out, dropping Zuko on his ass.

Sokka pounced on him. "You had me worried for a second." He lapped at an exposed nipple.

"You fight dirty, Water Tribe," growled Zuko as he fumbled to get under Sokka's clothes.

"And that's somehow a bad thing?" He tugged at the other man's trousers, freeing what he wanted. "Why hello there!" he said addressing the angry red cock that sprung to greet him. "How are you today?"

Zuko's words were forced out from between gritted teeth. "You are totally insane. You know that, right?"

He looked up and waggled his eyebrows. "It's what makes me so lovable."

He ran his hand up Zuko's inner thigh, barely touching the heated skin. He heard a loud snort and was unprepared for the convulsion that nearly threw him off the man beneath him.

_What just happened?_ He tried it again. This time he got a burst of laughter that was quickly cut off by Zuko clapping his hand over his own mouth.

Sokka's eyes went wide in wonder. "You're ticklish?"

Zuko's face was a whirlwind of confusion and horror.

That was all the confirmation he needed. Sokka lit up with pure sinister glee. _I am the luckiest man alive._

He tongued the skin beneath Zuko's belly button, pressed his lips firmly to the finely haired skin, and blew out a raspberry against the sensitive area. Zuko's laughter mixed with a sob as his body trembled out of control, forcing Sokka to hold Zuko's hips steady to continue the torture.

Sokka reached out again, fingers dancing feather-light against ribs and waist. Between ghostly touches he would pause and engulf the head of the rock hard cock bobbing in his face, sucking hard. He felt the other man clench around his finger as he worked to gain entry, Sokka's other hand effortlessly targeting sensitive spots.

_I get a curse if I brush here, moan if I thrust there._ He was feeling benevolent so he decided to take mercy on his new toy. He engulfed all of Zuko in his mouth, humming a tune in time with the thrust of his fingers. He started to feel his toy tense in and around him.

Zuko was blindly tossing his head back and forth. "S..Sokka. Gonna… gonna..." The rest of his warning was lost in gasps and sighs.

Sokka picked up his pace, tasting the bitterness as his little firecracker exploded. He took a little time to admire his handiwork: sweat matting hair to Zuko's brow, flushed and panting, totally relaxed for the first time that Sokka had ever seen. "This is a good look for you. Really."

Zuko had enough energy to pull him up for another kiss. Here they took their time, Zuko exploring, tasting himself in Sokka's mouth.

Sokka pressed himself against Zuko's thigh, wanting to maintain any kind of friction while Zuko recovered his wits. He groaned softly as Zuko wrapped his legs around his waist. "Are you sure?" he asked, suddenly serious. In answer Zuko arched his back up off the ground, grinding against him.

He went slowly, filling his brain with thoughts of tiger seal hunting so he could last as long as possible. He played with angles, trying to get Zuko to make more of those little noises he loved to hear. He laughed in amazement at Zuko firming up between them.

They worked at a great counterpoint, building up and up until neither could take it anymore and they tumbled down together to lay still afterwards, a sweaty tangle of limbs.

Sokka lazily traced patterns on Zuko's chest. "This is my favorite kind of training."

"Mmmhmm," came the sleepy murmur of agreement.

"So if we're keeping score, I think you still owe me."

Zuko slurred his words as he began drifting off in exhaustion, "I'll make it up to you."

"You'd better," Sokka said with a snort as he snuggled in closer, letting sleep claim him as well.


	2. Revenge

I don't own ATLA and make no money from this.

I didn't think I would be writing more of this but here we are. Unbetaed so apologies for that and double entendre abuse. I'm throwing it up on for feedback. I'll be happy to revise if people think it needs it. Reviews of all kinds are very welcome.

Zuko had taken to asking Sokka to spar at random times.

To members of the Fire Nation royal family, the word 'spar' apparently translated to 'fuck like minks'. Sokka had no problem with this, though he was grateful that Master Piandao had skipped that chapter in his training.

Their frequent disappearances had not gone unnoticed.

"That's some dedication to the craft," Haru had commented conversationally over dinner one evening.

Zuko nonchalantly looked over at Sokka before he shrugged and said, "It's important for people who do weapons work to learn different techniques. The more time we spend handling each others' swords, the better."

Unfortunately for Sokka, he was trying to wolf down his dinner. 'Unfortunate' because Zuko's choice of words caused him to inhale a mouthful of rice. He began sputtering violently. _Oh gods. He's trying to kill me. _Teo helpfully pounded him on the back as he tried to catch his breath. Through his tears Sokka could see Zuko was pointedly ignoring him but noticed that the corners of Zuko's mouth were twitching slightly.

_Son of a bitch did that on purpose! _Sokka felt sudden swell of pride_. I must be rubbing off on him._ A silly grin made its way onto his face. He dreamily replayed scenes from the previous night's activities in his head_. In more ways than one, anyway. _

Haru took a seat next to Zuko, handing the firebender a share of dinner. "As a bender, do you think it helps to learn to use a weapon?"

Zuko swirled the food in his bowl, giving the question serious consideration. "Definitely. Fighting with a weapon is very much related to fighting without one. It makes you an all around better fighter since the weapon gets you to work from a different perspective. You understand an armed opponent better too."

"Do you think you guys could teach me a few moves?" Haru asked hopefully.

The loud clatter of a food bowl hitting the stone floor startled everyone. Sokka ducked his head as he grumpily recovered his bowl. "Sorry," he mumbled. _Not jealous. Not. Not. Not._ He pouted, fidgeting while waiting for Zuko to answer.

"I don't know, Haru. At some point maybe, but not right now. Outside of training Aang, I kind of have my hands full with Sokka."

_Damn right you do!_ Sokka chewed furiously to hide his smirk.

Smug eyebrow was raised to full smug level as Zuko continued. "Sokka has a hard time managing his own weapon but he's starting to get the hang of it. We practice a lot because he can only take sparring in short spurts."

_So. That's how it's gonna be, huh?_ Sokka laced his fingers together and stretched his hands outwards above his head, knuckles cracking. _You wanna dance? Let's dance. _

It was tough to keep the snark out of his tone but Sokka managed. "You know Haru, don't let Zuko fool you. I think that his problem is that he's jealous that my sword is so much bigger than his. It's a problem for a lot of guys."

Zuko scowled at him fiercely. Sokka cheerfully ignored this. _You messed with the wrong smartass, buddy._

"Zuko may talk a good game but I think I give him a pretty good workout," Sokka rose from his seat and added a little swagger as he gathered his water skin. "Yup. I'd say it's the best workout he's ever had. Maybe we'll let you watch sometime." He couldn't help but peek back at Zuko. The firebender seemed to be in physical pain, massaging the bridge of his nose.

_Yes! _Outwardly, Sokka was all sweetness."Ready to go?"

Zuko gave him a little sneer. "Most definitely."

Sokka led the way with Zuko following as they make their getaway. Neither had gotten very far when a blast of air and an eager Avatar popped up between them

"Can I come watch you guys spar?"Aang asked, hopping on one foot then the other in excitement.

"NO!" came the answer in unison.

Aang flinched, eyes growing so huge that they looked like they were going to take over his face. "Okay, okay. Just thought I'd ask." _Shit. He looks like I just stepped on Momo._

Zuko shot a look at Sokka with a clear message. _This is your fault. Fix it. _

Sokka put a hand on Aang's shoulder. "I'm sorry Aang but you can't come with us. Do you remember how Zuko's firebending pretty much sucked right after he joined us? Well, it's kind of like that." Sokka dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Sometimes he has problems performing. You know. In front of an audience. The boy needs his space."

Aang nodded sympathetically. "I get it." Sokka let out a puff of relief. Aang headed back to the temple, pausing in front of the sulking Zuko. "Don't worry Zuko. Everybody gets nervous sometimes. If you keep practicing, maybe eventually you'll be able to do it in public!" Sokka had to bite down hard on the inside of his lip to stop himself from reacting. _Oh Aang. So sweet. So damn clueless._

"Thanks, Aang." Zuko crossed his arms and looked the exact opposite of thankful.

"No problem! Have fun!" Aang said congenially as he blasted back to the campfire.

Sokka put on his best innocent smile. The glare Zuko shot him said that Zuko was going to do evil, murderous things to Sokka as soon as they were clear of any witnesses. _Gods I hope so. _

Sokka continued to make his way out of the temple assuming that Zuko would follow, periodically checking to make sure that Aang was truly gone. He turned to see if Zuko was still pouting but found that he was alone. Sokka turned 360 degrees. Nothing. _Where'd he go?_

The attack came out of nowhere. Tackled from behind, Sokka had the air forced out of his lungs as he was thrown roughly into one of the massive stone columns. A strong hand pinned his wrists above his head and he started to panic. Were they being invaded? How did someone get in without anyone knowing?

"I have problems performing, huh?" The husky, hoarse whisper tickled his ear. Sokka almost fainted in relief. That, and all the blood in his veins had relocated to his dick.

An extremely warm body pressed into Sokka's back and he let out a little moan as an equally warm tongue ran up the back of his neck.

"C… c… come on," Sokka stuttered as he felt Zuko's erection grind against his ass. He returned the favor, pleased at the little hiss it earned him. "It got rid of him, didn't it?"

"And I can't handle your big sword either, hmm?" A hand snaked between the column he was pinned against and his very eager dick and stroked Sokka firmly through his pants. Thrusting like crazy was a good option but he couldn't decide in which direction. He was ready to go through the roof when Zuko did that little thing he did with his tongue against the crook of Sokka's neck. The sneaky firebending bastard had gotten very good at getting Sokka worked up into a frenzy as fast as possible. _Not complaining. Nonononono. Not at all. Quite pleased in fact._

He felt a sudden chill as Zuko's body heat disappeared and his hands were suddenly freed. He clutched at the column in front of him in frustration. _What are you up to now?_

"Sokka?" His sister's voice echoed in the long corridor. "What are you doing?"

Sokka tugged his tunic down as far as it would go, praying to every god and spirit he knew that it would cover up the tent in his pants, and spun around wildly. "Nothing!" he squawked. "Just some, ah, stretches!" He did some twists at the waist to demonstrate. He tried to surreptitiously scan the corridor as he did so. No sign of Zuko. _What the fuck? Is he some kind of sex ninja?_

"Right," Katara said suspiciously. "I wasn't sure how much sparring you were going to do without this." She extended one arm holding a familiar scabbard.

He flushed beet red. _Idiot!_ "Aha, ha! Yes! Space Sword!" Sokka snatched it from her hand and tried to use it to cover his very indignant erection. _Down boy. We'll be back in business soon enough._ "Well, we were planning on working on, er, some hand to hand combat today anyway. But thanks for bringing it. Appreciate it. The help. And stuff," he trailed off awkwardly.

Sokka cleared his throat. "Well, I'll see you later. Gotta go kick Zuko's ass." _At least that part was true._ He sprinted away from her, plotting what he would do to that giant cock tease if a murder attempt didn't happen first.

----------------------------

The predetermined rendezvous point for the evening was perfect. The small drainage basin near the temple was grassy and secluded. The opportunity for swim under a full moon was a big plus, and it afforded the boys some much needed privacy.

Useful since Zuko was usually pretty noisy. A smug smile spread across Sokka's lips. _Yup. I bring out the best in people._

He navigated stealthily through the brush, hoping to hold on to the element of surprise. There was some splashing audible in the distance. His mouth went dry as he caught sight of the figure in the water.

A wide expanse of exposed pale skin stood out in the bright moonlight. Every inch showcased lean muscle brought about by hours of diligent training. Standing waist deep in the water, the stark contrast in colors made Zuko look like a living classical statue as he rubbed vigorously at his head.

_Oh, for fuck's sake. I'm getting turned on by him washing his hair._ _Do I really have it that bad?_

Sokka stripped faster than the speed of light and slid noiselessly into the cold glacial water. He kept just under the water's surface, stalking closer to his unsuspecting target. He exploded from the depths with a yell of "Shark attack!" His prey was shocked into immobility. He grabbed Zuko by the waist and hoisted the other boy over his shoulder, letting them both fall backwards for a good dunking.

They wrestled playfully in the water for a little while, each taking the opportunity to get in as many gropes as they could. They scrambled up the embankment, breathless. Sokka fiddled in his satchel for a length of cloth. He saw that Zuko was empty handed. "Didn't you bring a towel?"

"I don't need one." The firebender took a few deep breaths and Sokka watched in fascination as steam curled off of the pale wet skin. Even Zuko's shaggy head was dry after a few seconds. "Whoa! That's freaking cool!"

Zuko arched an eyebrow, a sultry smirk on his lips. "Can I try something?"

_Ohhh, I know that look. This promises good things. _"Fuck. Yes." Zuko guided him to the ground, spreading Sokka out like a rag doll. The anticipation was difficult to contain.

"Hold still!"

Sokka froze meekly at the order. Zuko seemed to be meditating slightly. Sokka's dick revived full force when smouldering gold eyes slowly opened. He had never wanted to lick anyone's eyeballs before.

Zuko hovered inches from Sokka's face as if studying every pore and pimple. Sokka tried not to squirm under the close scrutiny. _What is he doing?_

The wait was not very long. Zuko kissed the spot under his ear and puffed out a bended-warm breath over wet skin. Sokka trembled as the heat spiked a flare of lust that warmed him to his toes. _Oh gods. So good._

With slow deliberation, Zuko toured Sokka's body with his mouth, drying every square inch he could reach. The firebender took his time, shaping their arousal with heat, hands and breath.

It took Sokka a moment to realize that Zuko had stopped. He opened his eyes to see what was wrong. Zuko was watching him hungrily.

Sokka loved it. Just fucking loved it. Loved that look. Loved the fact that he could cause that look. He gently cupped Zuko's jaw underneath his good ear. _I guess I do have it bad._

His dick twitched in appreciation as Zuko began gently warming the base of it with his mouth. With little preparation other than that, Zuko sucked him in whole in one go. It was too much. There's no way this could last no matter how hard he wished for it. Sokka tried to give warning but Zuko sucked harder, sending him flailing over the edge. He shivered slightly as Zuko continued to lave attention on his sensitized skin afterwards.

Sokka's brain was so fried that it took a while to work again. He propped himself up on an elbow. _Up. Get up. Can't leave the boy hanging. _A shiver went up Sokka's spine as Zuko began lazily drawing patterns on the small of his back. He went limp, just savoring the feel of it.

Zuko looked like he was slightly nervous. "May I?"

_May he what?_ The fingers moved lower. _ Oh. OH! That 'what'._ Sokka had never been on the receiving end before but he figured he'd try anything once. Zuko already knew all of the cues that happened if he hit a sweet spot so now was as good a time as any.

"I haven't done this before so you had better make it good." False bravado filled Sokka's voice, trying to mask his unease.

Zuko smiled slightly in relief. "I'm pretty sure I've got the mechanics down."

"You'd better, or your penis and I may have to stop seeing each other." Sokka swallowed heavily. "What do you need me to do?"

Zuko's voice, already thick with arousal, dropped another octave. "Just relax. Leave everything to me." Sokka's dick wanted some way to record that statement so it could listen to that voice over and over.

The first touch was warm and slick, gentle but insistent. There was a little tension, but Zuko offered up a distracting kiss. Forcing himself to relax, Sokka accepted the intrusion. Slow was the magic word. A still finger felt like way more than enough but when it started to move… _Hoo boy. What have I been missing out on all this time?_

Automatically, Sokka began to move in counterpoint, thoroughly enjoying himself even as more fingers were added. The next step was a big one, and he wasn't just thinking that to give Zuko an ego boost. The firebender's warmth across his back helped soothe the transition. They lay still together, waiting. Sokka was jealous of Zuko's self control. His body relaxed even further and Zuko slid home… _oh god that spot right there._

He lost it. Sokka bucked wildly trying to find that spot again. There was a small laugh from behind him but he didn't care. Strong arms wrapped around him, trying to keep up.

Even as wrung out as he didn't want it to stop. He was running on empty but his nerves were telling him otherwise. All good things must come to an end, though. Zuko's body tightened as he peaked with a cry. They wound down, content to lie there together.

They shifted in each other's arms. Zuko was almost asleep, reflexively snuggling closer when Sokka's tongue started to lick a point high on his neck. Sokka hugged him tight, and attacked, applying a large amount of suction to delicate skin.

"OW! What are you doing?" Zuko sluggishly wriggled but couldn't escape. Sokka let up on the suction and analyzed his work_. Pretty!_ White skin contrasted the purple of the rapidly developing bruise nicely.

"We can dry hump all you want but try not to ditch me in front of my sister next time, mmmkay?" Sokka dove in on a new spot and sucked as hard as he could, creating another hickey to match the first. He admired once more. Satisfied, he released his captive.

"Damnit! What? Gah!" Zuko was nearly incoherent as he twisted this way and that, trying to get into an impossible position to look directly at his own neck. He stopped flailing when it dawned on him that there was no way for him to see what damage had been done without a mirror.

"Don't worry." Sokka yawned and settled in to sleep in the crook of the other boy's shoulder. "It's just some small love bites." He felt Zuko relax underneath him and waited until he could be sure the firebender was asleep.

There was an evil smile on Sokka's face as he murmured aloud. "I'm sure the bruises will go away in a couple of days."

-------------------------------

"You're up early," said Aang as he began his morning warm up for firebending practice.

A big bleary eyed mess, Sokka winced as he gingerly took a seat on the steps in front of Aang. "What? Can't a guy enjoy the sunrise from time to time? Sometimes you've got to just take the time to appreciate the little things."

Breakfast was particularly tasty. Sokka chewed his food, still mostly asleep, still trying to wait patiently. He was particularly proud of himself for getting his own ass up before Zuko. Letting an annoyed Zuko wake up first was not a good strategy to a long and healthy life.

A snarl in their general direction indicated that Zuko had joined them, uncharacteristically late. Sokka perked up a bit.

"Good morning!" Aang said brightly. "Waitaminute." Aang gave Zuko a sideways glance. "Why are you wearing a scarf?"

The force of the scowl on the firebender's face could have blown up a volcano. It was quite simply: awesome. "I'm catching a cold." Zuko self-consciously adjusted the scarf around his neck.

_Gods that was worth it. My work here is done_. With a contented sigh, Sokka set out to return to bed to get some badly needed rest.


	3. Caught

Unbeta'd. Releasing to the wilds of f f .net for critique. Please review. It's much appreciated.

Rated NC-17-S for silly sexual situations of penile puppetry. Set in S3 between the Firebending Masters and Boiling Rock

-----------------

The trail ahead was littered with downed branches. Sokka tucked stray wisps of hair behind his ear as he watched Zuko jump easily over a particularly large trunk blocking the way. _It is way too early in the morning for anyone to have that much energy. _ He failed to hide his smirk. _Especially after last night._

Hair returned to tickle his nose. He crossed his eyes, glaring at the traitorous strands. _Don't make me angry, Hair_. His hair ignored this idle threat. Needing the distraction from his rebellious locks he asked _"_So we're going after your war balloon?"

Speedy-Zuko was setting a brutal pace. "Yes. We need to get it closer to the temple."

More hair joined their sneaky brethren. "Wait!"

This caused Zuko to pull up short. He turned, face filled with concern. "What's wrong?"

"I need a hair time-out." Sticking his tongue out, Sokka fiddled with the bands holding up his wolf's tail, capturing all his flyaways. _Take that, evil hair!_

Zuko was less than amused. They continued in silence.

The still rising sun peeked though the canopy of trees, causing Sokka to squint to see the way ahead. The quiet was almost painful for him. _This is boooring_. "Hmph." He dropped his voice an octave and with a theatrical flair said, "Sokka, let's go retrieve my war balloon, if you know what I mean." He curled his lip in dislike. He thought for a moment then took his voice to a silky whisper. "'Hey Sokka, wanna go get my…" (dramatic pause_, _he added an eyebrow waggle) "…war balloon?'" His normal voice returned as he shook his head. "Okay. I give up. I can't really turn it into a euphemism for anything even remotely dirty."

This made Zuko snort. "That's because it isn't. We actually are just going to move the balloon." He glanced back at the other boy over his shoulder. "Don't look so disappointed."

"Okay, okay," Sokka conceded. "I'm just sayin' I'd get a lot more work done if there's a promise of a bit of the good stuff at some point."

The corners of Zuko's mouth twitched slightly in that way that would have been a smile if it were anybody else. "I'm sure that it can be arranged." He held up an admonishing finger to which Sokka waved his hands innocently. "But we have to work first," Zuko continued with a skeptical look. "It's the beginning of the storm season for this region. The wind damage can get pretty bad."

"It would be a big risk leaving the balloon out here," finished Sokka, thinking out loud. "We should keep it close and ready to go in case we need to use it in an emergency." The other boy looked at him sideways, a little impressed. Sokka raised an eyebrow at him. "What? I'm not just a hot guy with a towering intellect who's great in bed, ya know."

Zuko dismissively scouted the tree canopy above them. "Who says you have a towering intellect?"

_Today is going to be good._

The pair pushed ahead. Sokka's curiosity wouldn't let him hold his tongue. "Why do you know so much about the weather around here?"

"I've been to the Western Air Temple before."

_That_ was unexpected. Blue eyes narrowed at the sight of the miserable scowl that transformed the firebender's handsome face. _Okay. Haven't seen that look in a long time._

They reached the impromptu shelter that had been abandoned not that long ago. _The balloon basket better be lighter than it looks, _thoughtSokka warily as he eyed the disassembled pieces that had been used to build a tent. He carefully began pulling silk fabric that had been draped across the trees, watching the grumpy prince continue to stomp around the campsite.

_Are we going for a new Zuko-pouting record? How long can he keep this up? _"Do you want to talk about it?"

"About what?" snapped the cranky firebender.

"About why you're being such a crab-ass." The silks finally came free. Sokka began balling up the fabric. "Reminding you that you've been here before made you mad. I have no idea why. If you explain it to me maybe I can help."

Zuko's whole body sagged, looking anywhere and everywhere but directly at his interrogator. He reflexively tugged at the edge of his scar. "I'm sorry. It's just… this was the first place we came after I was … banished."

_Oh. Well then._ Sokka swallowed hard. He stuffed the silks into the basket of the balloon and brought himself toe to toe with the other boy. "Don't be sorry," he began softly. "I have to stop being so nosy. If you wanna talk about it, I'll be happy to listen."

Relieved gold eyes came up to meet blue. "You have to understand." Zuko struggled to find his words. "I'm not used to all of this." He vaguely waved his hand through the air. "Having a… friend. You actually care about how I feel. You're the first person outside of my uncle who's ever done that and that includes any real girlfriend I've had." He sighed in exasperation. After a moment, Zuko dipped his head, trying to shield his embarrassment. "You've been more than generous. I don't want to take advantage of you."

_Well, fuck._ Sokka didn't think it was possible that he could have hated Ozai more. Now he wanted to set fire to the body after he strangled the man with his bare hands, just to be sure the bastard was dead. "I'm offering to help so take as much as you need. You should know me by now. I'm pretty lazy so I wouldn't be doing something if I didn't want to." Sokka batted his eyelashes as he whispered, "Besides, I like it when you take advantage of me."

Sokka leaned back to admire his work. Bashful-Zuko-face was cute as hell.

It took a few more hours to finish disassembling the campsite. Sokka wiped the sweat from his forehead. _Time for a little action._

"Oh, Zuko." Sokka called sweetly. "I'd like to introduce you to an old friend!"

"Really? Who's that?" Zuko asked, distractedly winding rope into the basket.

_Sucker! _Sokka undid his belt. "It's Mister Penis! Say 'hi' to the nice prince, Mister Penis!" He dropped his pants and shuffled forward hobbled at the ankles, Mister Penis bobbing to and fro.

Twisting in confusion, Zuko did a double take when confronted by the half naked Water Tribe boy and his friend. Sokka pulled out his deepest baritone and timed his hips to wiggle as he spoke. "Hello, Prince Zuko! It's Mister Penis. Nice to see you again!"

The honest laughter that poured from Zuko's mouth was the sweetest thing he'd ever heard.

Sokka kicked away his pants, scowling in mock anger. "How rude! Mister Penis does not like to be laughed at."

"We're out here to get work done, you crazy bastard," said Zuko, not able to keep the smile out of his voice.

_Now it's my turn to pout._ "C'mon. We did plenty of work. Now it's fun time!"

Zuko turned his back on Mister Penis and resumed coiling rope, still laughing. "Let's finish here first."

"No! Now that Mister Penis has come out of hiding, only one thing will make him go away again!"

"And that is?"

_Spirits, he has to stop feeding me these lines._ "He needs to spend some time with a nice set of pillows." Sokka wrapped himself around the other boy's back and ground his dick into the very pert pair of Fire Nation pillows attached to Zuko's body.

"Uh, Sokka."

"Hmm?" he murmured, idly nuzzling the other boy's neck.

"We have a problem." said Zuko softly.

Sokka slowly realized the body underneath him had stiffened in his arms and not in a good way. He peered lazily in the direction of whatever had caught Zuko's attention. "What's wr-oh crap!" His dick attempted to crawl its way inside his body in terror.

"Hi guys." Standing a couple of feet from them, watching with great interest was The Duke. "Katara asked me to tell you that lunch is ready. Whatcha doin'?"

Sokka tightened his grip around the body that was his only shield from tiny inquisitive eyes. "Oh, I'm just giving my buddy here a _big_ hug. He was pretty sad just now." He thumped his hand against the petrified firebender's chest. "There, there, Zuko. There, there. See? All better."

"Huh." The small boy tilted his head curiously. "Why aren't you wearing any pants?"

Sokka's blush was so powerful he suspected his heat off his bare ass could have melted the North Pole. "You'll find out when you're older."

The Duke's face turned very, very serious. "Why do grownups always say that?"

"Distract him!" hissed Sokka into Zuko's ear. He planted a hand on the other boy's lower back, gave a hard shove and spun himself around, frantically searching for his trousers.

Zuko looked like he had just been asked to face an entire battalion of pissed off Azulas. "How am I supposed to do that?!? I'm not good with little kids!"

_Where in the icy hells did they go?!?_ Sokka was fairly confident his attire had not yet acquired the ability to move by itself. "Be creative!" he snapped back, still clumsily trying to find his clothes without dangling his junk in front of a child.

The firebender hesitantly knelt down to the small boy's eye level. "Hey there, Duke."

"The Duke," the boy corrected automatically.

Cheeks flushed slightly at the admonition. "Sorry. The Duke. Anyway. Do you want to play a game?"

The child nodded vigorously, forcing him to adjust the overly large helmet perched on his head. "I like games."

"Good!" Gold eyes fluttered as Zuko desperately tried to figure out where he was going with this. "Uh, I know! Let's play the Secret-Keeping Game!"

The look the Duke gave him was highly suspicious. "How do you play that game?"

"Ha.. aha!" Sweat dripped down Zuko's neck. "Well, you see… ah… we all go back to the temple and we don't tell anyone about anything you saw here for as long as we can, all right? "

"That's not much of a game."

Zuko let out a groan of misery.

_Damn, you /do/ suck with little kids_. Sokka watched them both as he fumbled with his newly found pants. The firebender was probably wondering how long it would be before he was impaled by a giant spike of ice through the back once they all returned to camp. Katara was going to kill them both slowly and painfully if she found out they had been humping all this time.

The Duke wiped a bit of snot off his nose with the back of his sleeve. "How about we open negotiations?" The sleeve wound up being cleaned on the seat of his pants. "What do you have to offer?"

Zuko's jaw fell open. Why was he surprised? The kid had hung out with Jet. _Of course the little shit knew how to blackmail somebody._

"Okay, okay." The firebender dug at his scalp as if that would help him pull ideas out of his head. "How about I give you my share of dessert at dinner? Ah… for a week!"

The Duke raised a very Jet-like eyebrow in interest. "Keep going."

"You can have Sokka's share too!"

"Hey!" No longer naked, Sokka looked up in indignation as he finished tying his belt. "Don't I get a say in all this?" Zuko shot him a withering glare.

The small boy looked thoughtful for a moment then stuck his hand out. "Deal."

With a nervous little laugh, Zuko took the small hand in his and gave it a firm shake.

Sokka hung his head in his hands. _We're doomed._

-------------------

The next couple of days were pure hell. The two teens had agreed to keep their hands off each other just in case The Duke decided to change the terms of their agreement. They didn't want the others to see anything else incriminating if the little blackmailer started blabbing.

No dessert and no cuddling. And no licking Zuko's anything. For a whole week! Sokka wasn't sure what he had done to deserve such torture. They kept sparring for real, which was great, but it was very hard to resist the temptation to get in a few good gropes.

Sokka made his disheveled way to breakfast. He moodily picked at his food, hair hanging loosely in his face. He was so depressed he hadn't bothered putting up his wolf's tail. He barely registered Zuko watching him like a hawk.

"Whatsamatter, Snoozles?" asked Toph, picking her teeth. "Sparky not giving you enough action when you're sparring anymore?"

He felt his own heartbeat race as both boys shot wary looks at each other. Toph let out a little evil cackle. With gritted teeth, Sokka rose to start clearing the dishes. _Stupid heartbeat._

Hovering at his elbow the moment he got up was Zuko. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Sokka conceded with a small smile. "I'm just missing… stuff. Thanks for asking. How are you doing?"

"Fine. I'm fine." The firebender looked like he was precisely not fine. Sokka waited expectantly.

"It's… uh. You." Zuko stuttered and after a deep breath, he fired off an explosive volley of words all at once. "Idon'trememberseeingyouwithyourhairdownbefore." There was a blush. "It's… nice."

Sokka let out a little whimper. It took all his willpower not to fling the other boy over the wash basin and bugger him sideways in front of everyone. "I have to go now," he squeeked.

Zuko nodded dumbly in agreement. They both turned on their heels and made a beeline for the furthest spot away from each other they could get.

It was difficult trying to sulk by himself in the corner trying to ignore an erection. Katara dumped sacks of dirty clothes at her brother's feet. "Can you help me with this stuff?"

"Sure," he said apathetically. He mechanically picked up the bags and followed her out to the small stream where they did laundry.

"You've been really down lately. Not getting sick are you?" his sister asked, concerned. A wave of water filled the tub of dirty items at her command.

"No."

Katara's face became grim. "It's because of Zuko, isn't it? He hasn't done anything to upset you has he? Because if he has…"

"No! No!" Sokka blurted out. "Zuko hasn't done anything to me!" _That's kinda the problem._

Her fingers wiggled as she agitated the clothes in the tub. He could feel Katara's angry glare heat his back as the water sloshed violently over the rim. "He didn't dump you did he?"

_What?_ All the color drained from his face. "We're not… We weren't… He didn't…" _Fuckity fuck-fuck._ He let out a groan of agony. "You know?!?'

"Of course I know! I'm not stupid!" She wrung the water out of the soaking laundry, punctuating her words with angry gestures. "You stare. " Stab. "At each other all day!" Thrust. "You look at him." Punch. "Like he's the first custard tart you've seen after not eating for a month." Jab. "A…a… and last week Zuko was humming." Stab. "Humming!" Punch. "When you came back from your latest 'sparring' session!" She raised a huge wall of water then slumped in defeat, letting the water crash lifelessly to the ground.

"Besides." She was so quiet he had to lean forward to hear her words. "Teo told me."

"Teo?!?" Sokka weaved slightly, not sure if he needed to sit down or throw up. "Who else knows?"

"We all know. We've known for a while." Katara couldn't look anywhere but the ground at her feet. "Look. I don't like it, but I don't have to." She looked ready to cry. "It was making you really happy, so I could deal with it. But now you're not happy. And that makes me upset."

_Spirits. I'm a moron._ "I should have told you a while back. It was dumb to try and hide it."

She wiped a tear away with the palm of her hand. "So you guys are ok?"

He didn't realize how tense he was until it all drained away. "We're better than ok. Great actually. I won't hide anything from you anymore." Sokka drew her up in a bear hug and gave her a light kiss on the top of her head. "You're the best sister a guy could ever have."

"Yeah. I know." Her answer made him smirk. He felt her sniffle unhappily against his chest. "If Zuko hurts you, I swear I'll freeze his balls off."

He couldn't stop the shiver of horror that shot straight from his scrotum. "Thanks. I think."

They held each other in quiet comfort for a while, something they hadn't done in a long time.

------------------

"They know?" A loud gulp echoed in through the chamber. "Even your sister?"

Sokka nodded slowly.

Zuko's face went through a perfect panicky rainbow. Starting with apple red for only a fraction of a second, he went paler than he normally was before stopping at an impressive shade of green. "How am I still alive?"

"She's fine with it." Sokka winced slightly at his choice of words. _ Not exactly fine, but he doesn't need to know that._ "You know what this means though, right?" The Water tribe boy tackled the overly pensive firebender. "We are back in business!"

They wrestled eagerly with each other on the ground, racing to see who could disrobe the other the fastest. Sokka straddled Zuko, rendering him helpless under a highly efficient multipronged tickle attack. "You will never again escape my evil clutches, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation!" He let out his most villainous laugh.

The flushed firebender went still. "But I have an ally that will always be there to help me." If they could bottle and sell the husky essence of Zuko's voice, it would make them rich beyond all imagining.

"Oh, really? Who might that be?" _Is he really loosening up a little –oh, oh, oh._ Lightening shot up Sokka's spine as a blazing hot hand wrapped firmly around his dick.

_Guh_. The golden eyed boy's playful leer was delicious. Water Tribe brains went squish as Zuko stroked their mutually favorite body part. "I need your help, Mister Penis!"

Sokka couldn't help but let out a delighted laugh.

From here they took their time getting reacquainted. No need to rush to avoid raising suspicion. No more worrying about getting caught. It was like savoring a fine meal. Once they each got to finish, they took their time winding down together. After a while they went back for a second helping, and a third.

Everything was good again.


	4. Sublimate

I don't own ATLA and make no money from this.

Set during Boiling Rock Pt 1. I found it odd that Sokka assumed that Zuko would be fine in the cooler. Don't you find that odd?

Rated very mature for silly sexual situations and lots of swearing. Any reviews and criticisms welcome.

------------

_Why is it so fucking cold in here?_ Sokka had thought a Fire Nation prison would somehow be a little more… firey. _Seriously, who builds a prison in a fucking volcano? The same country that uses a giant metal dildo to invade a city, I guess_. Worry made him fidget as he peeked around the corner. _This whole nation is totally nuts._ "Except you Zuko. You're okay."

Zuko threw a suspicious "Thanks?" over his shoulder, realizing it was probably better for all involved to not ask what prompted the comment. Both returned their attentions to their current goal of 'not being caught by a ridiculous amount of guards'. It would be an ignominious defeat indeed if their quest to rescue Sokka's dad ended at 'The Battle of Two Losers Who Didn't Get Any Farther Than The Basement of Boiling Rock'.

This chilly lower level was a little more promising. No guards so far. Sokka had butterflies in his stomach, a little leery of the first bit of good luck since they had arrived. It wasn't all sea prunes and custard tarts though. A hallway of freezers was probably not in need of its own patrol unit but was a little less useful in its 'find a disguise so we don't get our asses beat' aspect they were looking for. The Water Tribe boy scratched his head at the bizarre containers. Was the Fire Lord planning on sending in an elite army of snowmen? _Twisted fuck._

Approaching footsteps reverberated off of the copper piping overhead. Zuko nudged him. "Go! Go! Go!"

Sokka's nervousness made him cranky. "Go where? We don't have many options here!"

The empty hallway forced their hand. Zuko latched on to the closest freezer door, mildly surprised when it swung open easily. Even the Water Tribe boy was not prepared for the cold air that blasted them in the face once they got the inner door open. A not so gentle shove sent Sokka flying head first into the giant meat locker.

They wrestled the doors closed, ducking down to avoid being seen. The movement of shadows let them know that their guest had walked past. _That was close. Maybe things are looking up._ The feeling evaporated as he peered out the tiny window.

A guard was hovering by their door. The short little man was doing a piss poor job of trying to hide something behind his back as he nervously inspected the corridor. _Things are looking down. Way down!_

"Still there?" hissed Zuko, back to the wall. "What's he doing?"

Sokka ducked down again as the guard made a second pass. "Either the Fire Nation is testing out a new torture device or he's here for tuba practice!"

"What?!?" Their heads collided as they vied for position for a better look.

Helmet gone, the guard was pacing up and down the corridor, mouthpiece of a shiny brass instrument pressed to his lips.

Zuko's puff of disbelief was visible in the cold air. "It's a tsungi horn!" His shoulders sagged. "Why am I not surprised that we get stuck here because of some aspiring musician?"

The squat little guard was going to town on the thing, cheeks billowing like a pelicanfish. Sokka let out an impressed little "Hmph!" when he realized that he couldn't hear their musical jailor at all through the thick insulated door.

"Looks like we're going to be here for a while." The husky note in Zuko's voice made Sokka lose all interest in freezer acoustics.

Sokka shivered as a warm hand trailed up his back, though he was still on edge from their haphazard arrival. "Here? Now?" He couldn't keep the incredulity out of his voice. Or the interest.

"How else are we going to keep warm? Play cards? He won't know we're in here." Zuko raised a single eyebrow. "That is…" _Damn it, the boy can even sneer sexy_. "Unless you're too picken?"

Blue eyes widened in amazement. _Did he just dare me to have sex with him while I'm being the cautious one?_ _This must be opposite day._ "How can you be so calm about this?" His dick didn't want to hear any more of that reasonable nonsense. It was fully intrigued by Zuko's plan and wanted to know more. _Keep out of this, penis!_

Zuko turned serious. "Look, this isn't the first time a decision of mine came back to haunt me. You kinda get used to it after a while." He shrugged. "In the mean time, might as well make the best of it."

That set Sokka back on his heels. Did Zuko really not care that he was possibly risking his future, his _life_, on a whim? The whim of some pathetically scrawny Water Tribe jackass?

"Bock, bock, bock, bock. Squeeel."

_I must have totally gone bonkers._ Standing there stone faced, mockingly clucking at him like a picken was the (_fucking cocky_) former prince of the Fire Nation, exiled (_smug_ _asshole_) heir to the throne. Was this childish taunt supposed to get him to cave in like a five year old?

_Damn straight it would. _

Sokka grabbed the other boy by the back of the neck and gleefully licked the dip in the other boy's throat. _I think I'm in love_. He found himself with an armful of one slightly frayed but toasty warm firebender.

It didn't take long for pants to disappear. Sokka let out a little girly squeak as his bare ass brushed the icey wall. He wouldn't admit it (_no way, no how. Nope-nope-nope) _but he had become a bit of a cold wimp. During their travels he had started really enjoying the warmer climates. _Hope I get a big taste of heat right now._

He was surprised at Zuko's nonchalance at the frigid temperature. "Doesn't the cold bug you?"

The firebender smirked as he pretended to ignore the question, kneeling on the frozen floor to admire the half hard boy in front of him. Glancing up, he let out one long syllable as flames curled from his lips: "No."

Sokka couldn't decide if he wanted to hump the other boy's face or flee in terror. A warm, callused hand took care of that choice by wrapping around his very happy penis. That blazing hot tongue gave him a little lick and he almost lost it. His daydreams could not match the reality, no matter how crazed it got. With those eyes and that mouth, the bastard prince had gotten more than his fair share in the sexy body parts department.

The guard breaking through their only light from the window brought Sokka's lusty high crashing back to earth. Guilt nearly consumed him. Not only did Zuko drop everything to come with him, now he was offering what might possibly be the best hummer on the planet? He thought it was all over once he admitted that he had let Zuko come along without mentioning that they might not be coming back.

_So hey, haha, one little detail I forgot to mention was this is a suicide mission! Whoopsie! _The prince had every right to hate his guts.

Sokka reached out to the kneeling boy and gently pushed him away. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you have to STOP!" The wounded look on Zuko's face was exactly what he didn't want. _"_Sorry! I mean, look. You're risking a lot for me and you don't have to. The last thing you need to give me is this." He brought the other boy to his feet. "If anything, _I'm_ the one who's going to owe you big time if we get out of here in one piece. Like we're talking 'a million blowjobs' big!"

"Is that a promise?"

It was a feat of willpower to not fuck that leer right off Zuko's face.

The Water Tribe boy couldn't speak. _How can he not hate me?_ The uncharacteristic silence stretched out until Zuko spoke up. "Neither of us knows what's going to happen when we go out that door. Might as well as go out with a bang."

All Sokka could do was let out a half hearted chuckle at the crappy pun. _I need to make this right. _He watched the oblivious tsungi horn player take another silent lap past their door.

"Bock, bock, buc-ock."

_I've created an insatiable monster. Thank goodness._

Sokka turned on Zuko with a playful snarl. "Think I'm a big picken, do you?" He spun his evil creation around to face the wall and pressed against Zuko's pert assets. "I'll show you a big bang."

The firebender was grinning like a fool until Sokka's hands reached the sensitive skin of inner thigh. Hitting an octave he probably hadn't reached since the onset of puberty, Zuko yipped as he tried to get away. "Hands! Cold!"

"What?" Sokka said innocently, not letting up on his exploration. "I thought you could deal with the cold." Making Zuko squirm was something he could do all day. And all night.

"Some of me can handle the cold a little less than the rest!" the prince snapped. "Those parts are important to me!"

"Those parts are important to me too." Sokka's chilly hand wrapped around Zuko's cock and _twisted_, earning a broken high pitched wail.

Startled by the echo in the small chamber, Sokka leaned back to scan the small window for their musical friend. He slumped in relief. _Good. Still going at it. Practice makes perfect, my good man._

He returned his attention to his wonderfully wanton creation and reclaimed the important parts with a firm grip. "Tuba-man really can't hear us so you'd better let it all out." Zuko was more than happy to oblige, gasps visibly punctuated with breathy bursts of vapor.

The need to get inside this boy was overwhelming. Sokka hastily stuck a finger in his mouth. _Hmm. Guess my hands /are/ cold._ Spit cooled rapidly on heated skin as he teased the other boy open gently.

Zuko was having none of that. He jerked back and forth, not sure which hand he wanted, just knowing that he wanted _more_.

_Spirits I had better make this good._ "Slow down there, buddy," warned Sokka. He swallowed heavily as the prince gave him a feral growl with a look that radiated pure sex.

The Water Tribe boy nodded vigorously, tongue tripping through his response. "Well, I know we've been working on this negativity problem of yours but after taking the current circumstances into consideration I believe your response is completely appropriate!" _Where the hells did that come from? Stop babbling!_

Anxiety was still tickling at the base of Sokka's brain. The pressure to make this mind blowing was intense. Hand shaking, he maneuvered to give the firebender what he wanted. He couldn't gain traction. _What.. what's happening?_ Impossibly he was starting to soften.

_Traitor!_ His penis was his lifelong partner in crime! Now, _now _when he needed full backup was the time his dick had a panic attack? Fate was a total bitch. He suspected that giving Zuko the most disappointing lay ever was not the best way to repay the boy's loyalty. Sokka let out a little whimper as things shriveled even more.

_Stop freaking out, you idiot! _

Sokka focused his attention on the sweat along the taut lines of Zuko's back. _This is not the end!_

This did not need to be some last hurrah fuck. They were _not_ going to die in this place. They were going to make it out of this freeer. They were going to find his dad. They were all going to get home safe and he was going to fuck Zuko so long and so hard once they got there that neither of them was going to be able to walk straight for a week.

Ideally that last bit would not happen in front of his dad.

Mr Penis sprang to attention. _I knew you wouldn't let me down, old friend! _Sokka repositioned and pushed forward. The prince had long since run out of patience. The other boy pushed back. Hard.

They moaned together at the not-quite-ready friction. Sokka's massive pile of neuroses was not fully in check, forcing him to struggle for control. "Hold still or all you're gonna get is the best twenty seconds of your life!" he commanded. His own body ignored him making little involuntary motions as it wanted in-in-in.

They took it slow. It took a little while to get the right fit but when it did it was pitch perfect. So hot it almost burned, so tight it almost hurt. Almost. Confidence restored, the Water Tribe boy took control.

This enthusiasm was just what the firebender was looking for, the first full thrust forcing the boy to catch himself, melting anywhere he touched the icy walls. Zuko refused to yield further, taking anything he could get. The sigh of relief he offered once they found their sweet spot was a thing of beauty.

Sokka played with angles, loving the different tones he could get out of his own personal sexmonster. Deep and throaty or short and high pitched, he wanted it all. He added a firm grip, offering friction to bring a delicious layer of complexity to those cries.

_Spirits_. This display of raw abandon was empowering and humbling all at once. _He doesn't hate me at all. _That made him very, very had no idea what he had done to deserve any of this but he wouldn't take it for granted again. He picked up the pace, throwing in every dirty trick he knew, which was quite a lot. Zuko appreciated this. It didn't take much before all of the firebender convulsed, pulsing into the hand waiting for him. Not long after, Sokka followed. Exhausted, they shifted to the floor together.

The prince mumbled incoherently into the Water Tribe boy's shoulder. "What?" Sokka laughed. He pressed his ear to Zuko's shaggy head to hear him better.

"Don't think this gets you out of what you owe me once we escape."

"Pfft, no. That was just a small sample. You'll get The Full Sokka Experience once we're home." _Now we just need to find my dad and get out of here. _The broad smile he felt against his skin made him forget their troubles for a while.


	5. Reparations

I don't own ATLA and make no money from this.

Throwing this up on ff net for critique. Feedback helps me figure out what works and what doesn't. Please comment either way. It is much appreciated. This is a little grittier than some of the other chapters but it hopefully still fits.

Warnings: lots of yaoi, very adult sexual situations, some swearing, some mild D/s. Adults only please.

* * *

_Oh spirits, I don't think I can take this anymore._ Sokka took a small measure of pride in the fact that he had managed to hold out for so long. He had seen many fall by the wayside during this endless agony. Amazingly Toph had dropped out first. Then his sister. Now even Aang was long gone. Too close to the breaking point. _How much longer?_

_No more! _ This was it. He was done. He held out his hands in supplication. _Please make it stop! _

"All right, you big baby- here!" Suki pursed her lips in amusement as she ladled out another bowl of stew.

_This is so… wonderful. _ Sokka raised the bowl, savoring the aroma. His sister would never believe he had waited almost an entire hour before allowing himself to start on his fourth helping. _Too bad she's already asleep._ His only real food rival had been Chit Sang but the massive firebender had gone to explore the forest, relishing his freedom.

The smell of Food That Hadn't Been Made At A Prison warmed the Water Tribe boy to his toes. His father eased himself to a seat next to him with a little_ ooph!,_ precariously balancing a glass of juice and his own bowl in the crook of one arm.

Hakoda boggled in amazement as Toph's loud snore ripped through the air. "I wouldn't have thought such a tiny girl would be able to make that much noise."

Sokka didn't let his mouthful of food stop him from talking. "That's not her only surprising bodily function. If you catch her on a bad night she could kill a herd of buffalo yaks with what she puts out." Hakoda raised an eyebrow at the sleeping figure, grudgingly impressed.

Suki threw back her head to laugh her tinkley little laugh. Sokka was ecstatic to see her so happy. He started a tally of the room's occupants. The three of them around the campfire were all that were left; the others long since escaped the SnoreWrath of Toph. All accounted for. _ Except for Zuko. _Where had the boy gone?

_Oh, no._ Zuko was off by himself in a corner, moodily fiddling with his chopsticks.

Hakoda recoiled in horror when the little earthbender let out a particularly loud noise of unknown origin. Suki's laughter made the firebender wilt a little more.

_I'm an idiot. _There had been so much happening so fast. He hadn't even stopped to consider how Zuko would feel about Suki and vice versa. They hadn't even had time to change out of their prison clothes before dinner had been served. His appetite disappeared. He had no fucking clue where to start untangling this mess.

Sokka wandered over to the melancholy prince. "Hey," he started gently. "Why don't you sit with us?"

"No. That… that's okay," Zuko stammered as he awkwardly rose to his feet. "I was just going to start cleaning up." The firebender began piling up scattered dishes, studiously ignoring the other boy.

"Let me help you." Sokka reached for some of the towering pile. The ceramics clanged together dangerously as they were pulled away.

"No! I can do it by myself." The flush on Zuko's cheeks made Sokka feel even more like an ass. "You should go spend your first night back with your dad. And Suki." He turned on his heel and was gone.

The Water Tribe boy returned to the fire and flopped down, head in his hands.

"Something wrong?" Suki asked, her face consumed with concern.

"You have no idea."

The mood became decidedly less easygoing. Zuko hid in the shadows as he retrieved more dishes.

Suki spotted him. "Zuko! Come! Sit!" she ordered, patting a spot next to her. "I'll take care of all that later. With everything you've done for me, it'll be the least I can do."

The firebender looked like he had just received a death sentence but complied anyway. He refused to look at any of them.

Suki glared at Sokka. He shrugged helplessly. _What can I do?_ She jerked her head in the direction of the prince and looked expectantly back at her original target. The Water Tribe boy could only wring his hands. The Kyoshi girl rolled her eyes in disgust.

Hakoda eyed the three teens furtively. He raised his glass and seemed to be speaking softly to it as he muttered "I'm too old for this crap." Giving his cup a little swirl, he drained the contents in one large swallow. "Well. I'm done for the night." He rose wearily to his feet.

"You kids have fun with the gassy earthbender." They watched the chief reach to the sky in a stretch, adding a little groan at various pops and crackles that sounded as he moved. Reaching out a hand, he firmly clasped forearm with each of the teens in turn. "Suki, Zuko. Thank you again for helping my son rescue me."

_Oh, crap._ Now they would be all alone once his dad left._ Fuck. Me. Hard. _

"And son?" Sokka's blossoming panic attack was interrupted by his father's broad hand clapping him on the shoulder. The big man leaned in to offer a sincere "Good luck," in a low rumble. Hakoda straightened up and made for the door. Sokka's head whipped around at the "You're gonna need it," his father muttered under his breath.

The Water Tribe boy slumped in defeat. _Thanks, Dad._ He tried to rally his rapidly dwindling courage. There seemed to be a very real possibility his balls would either wind up turned into a fiery lump of coal or dangling on a necklace around Suki's neck in the next fifteen minutes. He swallowed loudly as he tried to diffuse the tension. "Ha! Isn't my dad awesome? Really he's a great guy. Ha ha."

Two pairs of eyes watched him. The gold ones were suspicious, the blue/gray ones- irritated. The choker around Sokka's neck seemed way too tight all of a sudden. _Hoo boy._ He decided that there was only one surefire strategy that would end this misery as quickly as possible.

_Run like hell._

Sokka got to his feet and stuck a thumb in the general direction Hakoda had departed. "Yeah, my dad looked really tired, so, ahh, I'm gonna go make sure he gets to bed okay. 'Cause he's...really tired. He's never been to the temple before. And might get lost. And stuff. So don't wait up!" He couldn't keep himself from sprinting for the exit.

Once he was sure he was out of their line of sight, Sokka spread his hands against the nearest stone wall and slowly, repeatedly began thumping his forehead against it. _ Stupid, stupid, stupid._ Just like everything else in his life, nothing was simple. The whole mess was a little unconventional. Well, a whole lot unconventional and it would be no easy task to deal with. The last thing he ever wanted to do was to cause pain to someone he cared about.

"So. Umm. Nice night, huh?"

A familiar gravelly voice echoed clearly to the Water Tribe boy's hiding spot. His whole body tensed. _What in the name of all that the spirits protect?_ Zuko was trying to make small talk? This was bad. Like 'hey, Combustion Man, your eyes sure do look real pretty with all that makeup' bad.

Suki murmured in agreement. Sokka fervently hoped that she was responding to Zuko and not that she had somehow trained herself to become a mind reader since he had last seen her. He wouldn't have put it past her though.

There was a long awkward silence. Sokka peeked around the corner. He could make out their faces in the dim light. There didn't appear to be any blood or tears shed. _Yet_.

"Must be nice to be out of prison."

Sokka pinched the bridge of his nose. _Ah Zuko. What would we do without your awkward social skills?_

"Yes, but not for the obvious reasons." Suki's higher pitch was a little harder to make out but still audible. "The hardest thing was thinking the war was just going to pass me by." Her chin set firmly, resolute. "It feels good to know I'll be able to make a difference again." She glanced at the firebender as if only really looking at him for the first time. "What about you? I wouldn't exactly have guessed that it would be you that would help rescue me. How did you wind up here?"

Zuko seemed taken aback, surprised she would be asking questions of him. His mouth turned into a grim line. "I guess I couldn't let the war pass me by either."

Dead silence as minutes passed. Cold sweat dripped down Sokka's back. _That's it? _ He couldn't believe it.

"I wish you two all the best together," the prince suddenly blurted out. "You and Sokka, I mean. He's really... nice." The boy looked like he was trying to suck on a frozen frog. "You make a great couple."

_Oh crap._ This was not the direction Sokka had thought the conversation would go at all. His heart sank.

"We'd make a what?" Suki furrowed her brow in confusion. "Aren't you guys sort of together?" She trailed off. "I shouldn't assume things but seeing you together... " She shook her head in disbelief. "The way you moved together when you fought your sister on the gondola, I was so sure..."

Zuko cut her off. "We are, or rather were. That is, before. Now we're not." The prince looked even more miserable as he continued. "Now it's different."

Sokka wasn't sure if he could take much more of this. He should have said something earlier. _This is what I get for being such a huge coward. _ He forced himself to keep looking. Interrupting right now would probably be one of the stupider things he had ever done, which had a long list of competitors for the top spot.

"How so?" the Kyoshi Warrior demanded. "It's obvious he likes you."

The prince bashfully stared into his cup as he conceded, "He has been really good to me."

Suki smiled easily. "Sokka's like that. He's really passionate about stuff that's important to him." She hummed to herself appreciatively. "It's pretty adorable really."

"Yeah," Zuko said softly. He startled and cleared his throat roughly. "I mean, sure." He paused, looking like he was preparing to take a blow to the gut. "Look, I didn't know you two were together before. It wasn't his fault this whole thing started. I sort of forced the issue and got... greedy." He hung his head. "I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at him."

The merry laugh was not at all what either boy had expected. The prince scowled furiously. Suki covered her mouth when she noticed his reaction. "I shouldn't laugh," the girl said still chuckling behind her hand. "But it's too funny!"

Zuko went into simmering pout mode. If the boy thought he was being made fun of then it was 'game over'. The Water Tribe boy beat his forehead with his fists. He had to let the conversation run its course.

Suki fell serious at the boy's suddenly dour expression. "Zuko," she started kindly. She waited patiently for him to meet her gaze. "Sokka and I are not and have never been a couple."

Zuko blinked in confusion. "Does Sokka know that?"

She laughed again. "Of course he does."

An elephant koi stuck on dry land gaped less than what Zuko was doing right now. "But I saw you guys at the prison…"

Suki shrugged as if this were inconsequential. "We're a passionate people. I thought you knew. When I first met Sokka, we invited him to join the Kyoshi warriors. Part of his oath is that he swore to uphold our traditions. All of them."

The prince gave her a blank stare. Sokka groaned softly, knowing what was coming next.

"So he's a Kyoshi Warrior, right? And I'm their leader. That makes him one of my girls."

He could see Zuko's puzzled face trying to work it out even in the low light of the fading fire.

Suki sighed and made her cute little boys are stupid face. "The Kyoshi are famous for their fierce strength and their close knit fighting techniques. There's a reason we're so close. I take care of my girls and they take care of me." She waved her hand in the air. "If you know what I mean."

Zuko made a little "hmph" clearly still not getting it. His eyes went wide as realization finally sunk in. "Oh. OH! Guess those stories about the Kyoshi warriors are true." Sokka blushed furiously at what must be going on in the firebender's head.

"Yup," Suki said with a smug little smirk. "There's lots of ways to build a cohesive fighting force. This one's just a whole lot more fun."

It was Zuko's turn to blush hotly. He looked her in the eye, searching for any hint of deception. "So you're not dating."

"Nope."

"And I wasn't making him cheat on you?"

"Nuh-uh."

Zuko scrambled to his feet. "Suki. Thank you. You are truly a great warrior." He bowed to her formally. His agitation got the best of him though. "I gotta go. Work on some… stuff." The boy disappeared.

_So it's over. _The Water Tribe boy leaned against the wall, trying to get his heart to stop racing. He let out loud yelp when small fingers reached around the corner and snagged him by the ear. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" The hand twisted his ear lobe painfully and dragged him along, bringing him face to face with one very pissed off Kyoshi warrior. _Okay. I'm dead. _

"Thank you _so _much, Suki!" she said angrily, leading Sokka around by his ear in time with her words as if he were a particularly disobedient puppy. "I'm so _glad _you could explain everything to my _boyfriend _because I was too_ picken-shit_ to do it _myself_!"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Sokka yelped as she gave him a particularly vicious tug and released him. "Okay, well maybe he is kinda, sorta. I guess." He cradled his rapidly swelling ear. "I know, I know. I could have handled things a little better."

"You think?" He flinched at the heavy sarcasm written all over her face._ I shouldn't be so surprised. She /has/ learned from the master… _

She continued, more annoyed than angry now. "Do you know how badly things could have gone? Zuko's hot but he's not exactly the sharpest fan in the armory."

He wrapped his arms around her gently. "I dropped you into a huge mess, didn't I?"

She nodded as she hugged back. "He must really like you a lot to put up with your nonsense." Her words hit him like a blow to the chest. _I have been kind of a selfish dick._

The Kyoshi warrior totally derailed his train of thought by gently stroking the line of his throat. "I'll forgive you only if you give me a little something from time to time until I can get back to the other warriors. If Zuko's okay with it, of course." His body responded automatically to the huskiness of her voice. "A girl has needs."

Suki tapped the side of her face expectantly. Sokka took the opening to happily peck her on the cheek. She preened under the attention. "You're welcome," she said, finally smiling again. "Now get your cute little ass out there," she said with a parting slap to his rear. "You have some major sucking up to do."

He needed no further encouragement. Though, of course, nothing was ever easy.

His alarm continued to grow after failing to find Zuko in any of their usual spots. Sokka had even checked the isolated bedroom they had assigned to the firebender when he had first joined the group. It had been quickly abandoned once the sexin' had started. Come to think of it, they had rarely ever reached indoors much less an actual bed.

There was one last place he hadn't checked. Sokka could hear grunts alternating with the now familiar fwoosh! of alarming quantities of flame. He crept up to archway that led to the training area, still not at all sure what he was going to say.

Zuko was running through one of his forms, stripped to the waist, shoes long gone. The lean body worked swiftly through familiar movements, graceful as well as powerful. It was beautiful to watch no matter how many times one saw it. A pang of guilt flowed over Sokka, as it hit him that he was to blame for the other boy's need to unwind.

The firebender brought the form to a close. The Water tribe boy coughed once as he took a step closer, receiving no acknowledgement from the other boy. Zuko vigorously dried sweat with his grubby tunic for lack of anything else. Trying a louder theatrical cough, Sokka put on his most contrite expression and waited.

"I know you're here," Zuko rumbled after a few seconds, the line of his shoulders tense. He continued wiping himself down, refusing to look at the fool who had joined him. "This is the second time you've kept the truth from me. You made things difficult for me just because you wanted to make things easier on yourself. I don't like that."

_Do or die time. Hopefully not the die part though._ The Water tribe boy flung himself at Zuko's waist, crawling on his knees to beg his case. "Pleeeaaase forgive me!" he wailed pathetically. The prince staggered back, so he waddled after him, refusing to let go. "I know I'm a moron but I'm a moron who cares about you very, very much. I do! But really! How was I supposed to explain any of this?"

Zuko scowled fiercely.

With a wince, the clinging boy continued. "Would you've believed me if I told you any of that stuff back there myself?" Sokka mimed an almost Aang-like look of enthusiasm on his face. "Oh, hey Zuko! Don't worry about Suki! She's not really my girlfriend, just a friend I swore an oath to have sex with on occasion!" Sokka desperately searched the other boy's face. The prince was still hard and unyielding. "I swear I won't hide anything from you anymore!"

"I believe you."

The Water Tribe boy pressed his head to the firebender's navel, grateful for any acknowledgement. A warm finger brushed away stray hairs from his forehead.

"I need you to do something for me." Zuko's voice was rougher than sand. "You can walk out at any time. Do you trust me?"

Blue eyes went saucer-wide. _Oh, I think I like where this is going._ "Of course." There was a sneaky suspicion that this might be heading towards being the best make-up sex in the history of sex. He tried to rise.

"No," the prince commanded crossly. "I want you on your knees."

_I believe I can manage that. _The Water tribe boy fell back to a kneeling position, unable to contain his smug leer.

Zuko still wasn't smiling. _Oh, crap. _The leer melted away.

The prince treated him like he was examining an animal for purchase, turning Sokka's head this way and that. With a yank, the prince pulled away the tie restraining his wolf's tail and casually flicked it away. The feel of Zuko carding his fingers through his loose hair made Sokka's toes curl.

He was unprepared for the shove that forced him to all fours. "Hey!"

"Quiet," Zuko growled. "I'll let you know when I want to hear anything from you."

_Kind of, sort of want._ His dick was horribly unsure about this whole situation. It couldn't decide if it wanted to make friends with this new sexily-evil prince or crawl under a rock to hide for a while until less-rightfully-angry Zuko came out to play.

"I'll take this."

Sokka hadn't thought to panic until he felt Space Sword, sheath and all, being untied from his back. Being on his hands and knees in front of a pissed off firebender was apparently just fine and dandy, but take away his sword and he got worried. The snick! of metal being drawn from scabbard made him shiver involuntarily. Sharp unearthly cold brushed the nape of his neck._ I am in such deep shit_

"You're not gonna need these anymore," Zuko murmured ominously. "I recommend you hold very still."

_Need what? _A whisper of air swept down Sokka's spine, tickling like the flutter of small insects. He twitched violently after the fact, as if someone had pulled off a sticky bandage all at once. There was a sharp _clang_! - his stolen shoulder-plating and belt hit the ground, split down the back. His tunic fell away as well, pooling over his sprawled hands. He almost fainted in relief that nothing more vital had been removed. One more pass of the sword removed the stolen prison shorts and skirting. He didn't understand the why of it, but he couldn't help feeling more exposed just wearing the impractical boots and useless gauntlets than if he were fully naked.

Sokka's head involuntarily snapped back as Zuko grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled him to his knees. No trace of a smile, but arousal made gold eyes burn.

"Suck me."

It was a distinct possibility that Sokka could get used to this being-ordered-around business if it included orders like that one. He tried to hide his smirk as he mouthed the bulge presented to him through thin prison pants._ I agreed to this. Still, there's no reason I need to play fair._

Pulling on the cheap fabric revealed a very interested Fire Nation penis. It was sort of like a magic trick. _ The most awesome magic trick ever. _ Wave your hands and_ ta da! _ Maybe they could start some kind of touring show together._ The Illustrious Sokka and his assistant the Amazing Hard-on! _ The illustrious boy gave a little lick as he brought his hands up, kneading muscle of ass and thigh. _Watch as I make him disappear. _With no other warning, he moved in and took the boy in down to the root. The incoherent cry was very much worth the sudden painful grip on his hair. He took control of the firebender's pelvis and backed off a little, not wanting either of them to get hurt. His motions were hard and fast, hitting a syncopated rhythm. The musk from sweat mixed with grime was a powerful combination that made him want more, aching jaw be damned. It took a minute but he started to anticipate the timing of Zuko's thrusting counterpoint, letting his hands move on to more complicated tasks. Teasing, exploring. Finding that little spot just behind the boys, he pressed very gently.

"N..no! Slow down!" Zuko continued to arch towards him though, body contradicting the words.

_Glad I've never really listened to authority._ Sokka took him in again, as deep as he could go, and swallowed.

The ripple was astonishing. It seemed to start in Zuko's bare feet and tore through all of him, sending him pulsing and twitching into the warm mouth surrounding him.

Sokka guided the boy through his aftershocks with a hand, letting them both catch their breath. His knees protested as the firebender brought him roughly to his feet. Zuko plundered his mouth, so he opened up more, letting the boy taste his own bitterness that still lingered.

"You don't get it do you?" Zuko asked, possessively biting at the other boy's jaw line. "This is no joke."

The Water Tribe boy barely caught himself as he was tossed against the closest wall. He stared at the wall in front of him, a little worried by what he would see if he turned around.

The firebender ran his hands slowly but surely up one booted leg then the other. "You have to understand," he said, using both hands to explore belly and chest. Sokka's mind was awhirl at the sensations. With his dick complaining mightily about being left out, he could barely process that the prince was speaking. "I'm not going to let the people I love get away with manipulating me anymore."

_What did he just say? _ Hands dug into his inner thigh, cutting off any rational thought. "So you're going to have to pay. And don't think you're going to get off easily."

A hot tongue at the base of his spine nearly sent Sokka through the roof. And it was just the beginning. It went everywhere, that tongue, tracing the edge of the high boots, the base of his palm, just above the gauntlets, at his hairline. Mapping everywhere, with one painful exception.

His dick was ready to riot.

Hands were there to save the day. Firm even strokes were slow and methodical. How had he ever lived without feeling that preternatural body heat? Keeping quiet was possibly the hardest thing he had done in his life. Surely there would be additional punishment if he broke the rule against noise? He was tempted to find out what it would be, but he didn't want to disappoint.

It went on and on and on. As soon as he got close, the hands would drift elsewhere, pinch or fondle then return. It was maddening. Not that he was complaining. Okay, he was really, really complaining. They repeated the cycle so many times that even his hair was begging for release.

It was if some sort of bell went off when his whole body began to tremble. Zuko kneeled behind him and tongued a spot that neither he nor certainly any other person had ever tasted before. The gentle wet probe of a too sensitive area was like a zap of electricity through his spine. A little shake of the head sending the Water tribe boy bucking wildly, nearly chewing his lip off to stop from crying out.

Zuko nuzzled the other boy's hip bone and laughed. "Good. You're doing very well."

A finger began probing, trying to gain entry. Sokka pressed back desperately. Another laugh from the evil prince. "Let me hear you now."

Words began to pour out of him. "-fuckfuckfuck Iwantyou ohspirits wantneedyoualways pleaseI'llbegood yesI'lldoanything pleasejustletme-"

"You're forgiven."

There were more fingers and more preparation and then finally, finally Sokka got what he had been looking for: it was smooth and blunt and hard and filled him more than he could stand, which was just the right amount. Time stood still.

They fit together as perfect opposites, for once Water Tribe running hot and impatient, Fire Nation calm and soothing. It continued, this dance. No matter how much the one tried to push the tempo, the other slowed it down, keeping them both just at the edge.

When the moment came, Sokka saw stars. He folded into the welcoming arms of his tormentor.  
He smiled in a daze, resting his head on the other boy's shoulder. "Mmm. I think I want to have your babies."

Zuko let out his bark of a laugh. "That might prove to be difficult."

That laugh. Sokka drifted away, already dreaming of that laugh.


	6. Oneiric

A/N: A more explicit version of the ending is available at my livejournal.

Feedback is particularly appreciated here. This chapter was a difficult one to write.

* * *

"Wake up, lazy! You're gonna be late!"

Katara's voice shoved aside the blanket of sleep that Sokka clung to for dear life. _How is this particular type of /late/ any different than normal? _

Her fist pounded on his bedroom door, ending any possibility of him getting his usual twelve hour beauty rest. "Hope you're getting dressed! The ceremony's going to start soon!"

_Ceremony_? That caught his attention. A sense of urgency snapped him awake. _Ceremony. Right._ He had not a clue what was going on but he knew this was important. The windowless room didn't make it any easier to find a candle in the darkness. A few cracks of the spark rock and there was light.

"Whoa." Waiting for him by his bedside was a neatly folded set clothes made of fine blue silk. He fingered the ornate silver brocade that decorated the tunic's high collar. The work was delicate and highly detailed, depicting sigils of warriors of the Southern Water Tribe with fastidious accuracy.

The echo of _late, late, late_ made him scramble to get into this new apparel. The pants were most definitely _not_ of Water Tribe design. It took him several minutes to figure out the complex series of belts. A full length mirror was available and once he was sure his pants wouldn't fall to his ankles he was impressed. The fit and color were perfect. _Sexy!_

A knock at the door was a little more hesitant this time. "You had better be decent because I'm coming in!" Demurely shielding her eyes with her hand, Katara crept slowly into the room.

_I'm never decent. _The opportunity was too good to pass up.

"Sokka?" She squinted to adjust to the semi-darkness and wound up leaping a foot in the air with a squeal once her brother snuck up behind her to tickle the operculum covering the gills on her neck. "Jerk!" She swatted him with her dorsal fin. "Don't make me mess up my hair!"

Mission to annoy his sister accomplished, he finally noticed that she was dressed in identical blue silks, her clothes cut to look both regal and flatter her figure. Ribbons of silver had been threaded through the curls of hair piled high atop her head.

She looked gorgeous.

She also left him no time to react when she wrapped her webbed fingers around his hand and dragged him from the room. "Let's go!"

Corridors whizzed by until they reached a spectacular giant courtyard full of beings of every color and size imaginable. The whole gang was there, all dolled up and kitted out similarly to the Water Tribe siblings. It didn't seem _that_ out of the ordinary. Even dressed in a rich, elegant green, he was not surprised to see Toph digging inside one whiskered nostril with her paw and wipe it on her sleeve.

"You made it!" Sokka turned at the sound of Zuko's especially warm greeting. A thrill went through him. The firebender was devastatingly handsome at this instant, hair pulled tight into a topknot, a layer of diamond patterned red leathers hugging his skin.

Sokka melted against the other boy as he let himself get gathered into a hug. "You clean up nice," he mumbled into a mouthful of shoulder. His brain still felt like it was mired in mud.

"I'm so glad you could come!" Too soon, Zuko pushed away and disappeared.

_Damnit_. He spun around, annoyed at his inability to track the sexy bastard in a crowd. It afforded him a better look at the people around him, though. _Where are we?_ The whole world seemed fuzzy at the edges but he couldn't get a grip on why. _Teo /always/ had feather, right?_

"This is wonderful!" Aang spun around him, a blur of orange and yellow, his tail swishing in delight. "The Fire Nation needs to unite around the birth of a new heir. The infighting has been awful since we won the war!"

"Won the war?" The words confused Sokka thoroughly, but it seemed like everything about this place was like that. "The comet hasn't even come yet. Why are we… Who's birthing what now?"

His questions seemed to fall on deaf ears. The mass of creatures turned as one as a tsungi horn blasted a clear note, calling for attention. There was a burst of applause and cries of 'Congratulations!' as the crowd surged forward to greet whoever was entering the courtyard.

It was Zuko, eyes very much filled with love for the exhausted but radiant woman on his arm.

_Mai_.

Cradled in her hands, swaddled in layers of delicate lace was a precious bundle, a tiny newborn.

"So cute!" Aang flattened his massive ears against his head, eyes welling up with tears.

The little golden eyed baby girl already had a full shaggy head of blacker than black hair and seemed to regard the cooing crowd with suspicion.

Sokka felt his face turn itchy and tight. _Just like her dad. _

A hush fell over the crowd as Zuko raised a hand. His body shimmered, like air on the horizon on a hot day and in a blink he was gone. In his place was a massive dragon, red as the sunset, waiting patiently for his human family to climb aboard. Once mother and child were secure, the dragon flicked its tail and soared towards the sky.

The menagerie of creatures surged forward to wave farewell, leaving Sokka behind.

Not that he wasn't trying to move. A shock of horror went through him as he watched his legs crumble into dust. He reached out to crawl forward but could see his hands turn dry and crack open like soil that had baked for too long in dry desert heat. Panic seized him as he tried to call out and couldn't, chest fracturing into tiny pieces.

Then he was falling, falling….

Kicking out violently, his legs tangled with his bedroll as he snapped awake. The familiar pillars of the Western Air Temple loomed over him. _Why are my dreams always so fucked up?_ He panted in relief as he realized he was alone. There was no Koi-tara or Aang-mo or Badger-Toph.

And no Zuko, dragon or not.

His rational mind reminded him that even when Zuko spent the night it was pretty normal for the boy to be up and about earlier than him. His irrational mind told his rational mind to shut the fuck up because they were all going to go find Zuko. _Now_.

* * *

The checklist of places to search for a prince hadn't seemed that long when Sokka had come up with it. His impatience wasn't helping things any, either.

Training area?_ Nope_. Occupied, but not by Zuko.

Haru was probably regretting his request to have Toph show him a few things. There was an endless loop of the sound of rock shifting that would end in a loud "Oof!" before starting over again as Mr Moustache got his ass handed to him. _Poor bastard._

A lonely bowl of oats sat waiting for Sokka by the large fountain. He made friends with it, devoured it and moved on.

The docked airship made for an impressive sight. The _fwoosh_ of flame that echoed off the canyon walls let Sokka know that a firebender was near_._ Not necessarily The Firebender, he reminded himself.

It was easy to forget that the gang had quickly more than tripled in size. He chastised himself for forgetting Chit Sang. The massive firebender was still a little suspect, disappearing for long hours with little explanation. The guy was up to something, but Sokka had no interest in analyzing this in his current frame of Zuko-seeking mind.

Thankfully the object of his search was scaling down the metal rigging of the metal balloon, swinging off the final rung to the catwalk underneath. Teo was on the catwalk with him, wearing some awesome looking contraption strapped to his head, scanning the airship's surface for imperfections. Sokka mentally added it to his list of Things I Must Ask To Mess Around With At Some Point, If You Don't Really Mind.

"Man, it must be nice to have an on-demand spot welder." Teo removed the pair of magnifying binoculars as Zuko landed at the foot of his chair. "You know, this just means I have to make one for myself."

The firebender dusted soot from his trousers. "It _is_ useful from time to time." His face was a mix of surprised and pleased as he looked up to see Sokka making his way up the boarding ramp.

_Midday /is/ a little early for me to be out and about. _ "Just checking in," Sokka answering the question written on the firebender's face. "You guys need any help?"

"Sure." With a little wheelie spin in place, Teo faced them both. "There's still some minor patch work that needs to be done." His lip curled with an engineer's disgust. "My dad's designs never needed this much maintenance." He began piling tools into his lap. "Other than a few more sections that I need Zuko to take care of, we should be almost done."

_Interesting_. Sokka hoped his questions weren't too obvious. "What about Chit Sang? What's he up to?"

Teo answered with a distracted shake of his head. "Some of these alloys need to get pretty hot. Chit Sang can't get his fire to the same temperature that Zuko can."

_Oh my._ The firebender's smugly raised eyebrow was in need of some licking. Sokka took an involuntary step forward to do so without realizing that Teo was still speaking.

"Anyway, Chit Sang is working on a little something for me. Don't worry about him." The boy pretended to be fiddling with a wrench to hide the thousand watt smile on his face. "Be right back! Need one more thing." Another wheelie turn, and he was off.

"Everything okay?" asked Zuko, focusing his concern on the new arrival. "You seem a little.. ulp!" Sokka didn't let him finish the thought, wrapping the boy up in a great big bear hug that managed to lift the prince off the ground.

Once permitted to breath again, Zuko managed to cough out a "What was that for?"

"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to make sure you were real. And couldn't fly or anything." Sokka buried his face into the confused boy's neck, feeling a little warmth in his belly at the familiar scent_. Yeah. I got it bad._

"Guys! Please!" Teo returned with a small jar amidst the many tools in his lap. "Can you save the sucking-face for later? We can't all fit on Appa and we need this pretty hunk of junk working right."

Reality settled in again. They all got to work.

* * *

"Katara!"

She looked up at the sound of her name, on alert at the tinge of alarm in her brother's voice. Sokka was clutching desperately at his eye, a mollified Zuko in tow.

"Let me help you!"

Her brother waved off Zuko's ministrations. "I think this needs the expert." If there was a market for melodrama, Sokka could be making money hand over fist.

Katara slipped a small smile at Aang who returned a tolerant shrug. There was little hope of finishing their sparring session at this point.

She tried to shield her weary sigh from the approaching pair. It still made her uneasy- this... _thing_ between the boys. The sense of bitterness at Zuko's repeated betrayals would overwhelm her sometimes. But it was undeniable, the easy affection between the two. Even when they argued, they bickered like an old married couple.

Reluctantly she had to admit that she had come to truly respect her brother's judgment. That would never be anything he would hear from her directly, since she did not want to experience the hours-long victory dance she would likely be subjected to if he found out. No, she would never have trusted Zuko enough to take him on a mission to rescue their dad but Sokka's decision had proved to be the right one.

Her brother presented himself to her care, a picture of misery. "Let me see." Katara peeled Sokka's hands away from his face.

"Eurgh!" Aang obviously had the gene that made boys fascinated with gross things. "What happened?"

Sokka's right eye was painfully clamped shut, red and inflamed. "Zuko blasted me in the face!"

Not with fire, surely, thought Katara running her hands over his skin. There wasn't any evidence of a burn. What was he talking about?

A very unwelcome thought popped into her head. Her hands flew from Sokka's face as if he had burned her himself. They couldn't… no, they wouldn't come to her for help if this had been the result of them… doing _things_ to each other.

Would they?

"It was an accident!" the prince protested indignantly. "Besides it wouldn't be so bad if you hadn't started rubbing it so hard!"

Katara's eyes went very wide.

Zuko recoiled at her look of horror, holding up his hands in a plea for mercy from the wrath he expected her to unleash. He turned as red as his tunic and spat out a quick "We were messing around! And it just sort of happened!"

All the blood drained from her face.

Sokka contorted as if in mid sneeze, weakly fanning himself. "I think I got some of it up my nose."

The idea of anyone blasting someone in the eye with… stuff. Was just. No. Plus Zuko! And her brother! She couldn't take it.

"That's it!" All three boys recoiled at the intensity of Katara's sudden outburst. "Sokka you know I love you dearly but how do you expect me to… deal with… UGH!" She sputtered incoherently for a few more moments and fled, hands shielding her eyes as if that would stop any of the visuals currently burning themselves on her frontal lobe.

Sokka's jaw hung open at her departing back. "What's her problem?"

Aang shrugged. "Girls are weird." His curiosity wouldn't let him ponder the complexity of girls for very long. He craned his neck to get a better look at Sokka's face. "So what did you get in there?"

Zuko looked like he was experiencing serious physical pain at being forced to admit to anything. "I spilled some weather sealant on him when we were helping Teo patch a hole in the airship."

"That stuff burns!" the Water Tribe boy whined.

The firebender turned red in anger this time. "It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't pinched my..." He froze mid tirade, spotting the bemused look on Aang's face. "Me," he finished lamely. Zuko closed that particular line of discussion by folding his arms across his chest and falling into a good sulk.

If Aang was trying to hide the grin at his sifu's discomfiture, he was doing a terrible job of it. "If you don't mind, I could give this whole healing thing a try." The airbender rubbed his hands together in anticipation, eager to experiment on his first patient.

------------

Sokka sank into his bedroll with a little groan, wishing that little drum circle would quit pounding on his skull. Lucky for him Aang had figured out the healing thing, at least a little bit. Unlucky for him it was on the third attempt. The first two had the Water Tribe boy experience the feel of cold water blasting through his sinuses, leaving him with a bitch of a headache.

"At least your eye doesn't hurt anymore," said Zuko, kicking off his boots and folding his legs to sit next to the prone boy.

A puff of laughter escaped into Sokka's pillow. "I guess I should have just stayed in bed." A pang of melancholy swept over him at how poorly the day had started and how it snowballed from there. He was profoundly grateful that Zuko had stuck with him.

He flipped onto his back, wanting to study the firebender properly. Amazing how much a person could change. If you looked hard enough, behind the scar, you could see pieces of the future assembling behind the boy's face. Passion, dedication, selflessness. All coming together to build a man destined for greatness.

This man was going to need more than some love struck, scrawny-ass Water Tribe kid by his side. A sad little smile pulled at Sokka's lips. "You're going to make a great Fire Lord."

Gold eyes searched the brown face in alarm at this suddenly pensive turn. "Are you feeling okay? 'Cause I can go get Katara if Aang did somethi..." The firebender was yanked downward into a simple kiss. "I guess that means you're feeling better?"

It felt good to laugh against the other boy's mouth. "A dream from this morning kind of has me all messed up in the head," Sokka finally admitted.

Zuko didn't try to hide his smirk. "How is that different from normal?"

"Will you quit being so fucking adorable for a second? I'm trying to be serious and it's damn distracting!"

He picked at the ground near Zuko's knee, not quite daring to touch. "The dream was my version of what might happen after the war and I realized I have a few things to get off my chest. You're going to rule one great big fucked up country. There's going to be a lot of tough decisions that go with that." He refused to look up. "And I want you to know that I shouldn't be one of them." His breathing got haggard as he forced himself to continue. "I finally figured out that I love this. I love… you- _/there I said it/- _ and no matter what I'll stand by whatever choices you make even if it means I can't be with you."

The long seconds of silence were pure torture.

The firebender's voice was all gravel. "You're simultaneously the most mature and immature person I've ever met. Worse than my uncle! You're rash, impulsive, and vain and sometimes I think you're completely nuts."

Trying to shield himself from any more heartbreak, Sokka shut his eyes firmly as he could. He leaned into a warm, gentle hand wiping away a tear he didn't realize had formed in the corner of his eye.

That rough voice turned soft. "But you're also brave and kind and thoughtful and you're not afraid to show any part of yourself. It's something I wish I could do. How could I possibly give that up?"

The tension almost made Sokka vibrate from his disbelief. "What about Mai?"

"What _about_ Mai?" Zuko shot back.

His lips were too dry, but Sokka knew he had to keep going. "She was your girlfriend. She saved us all at Boiling Rock. Once this is all over, she'll be a perfect wife for a Fire Lord. Smarts, deadly skills, family connections. And she can make you some very pretty babies."

Tipping his head, Zuko's shaggy fringe covered his eyes. "Mai saved us and I'll be forever in her debt for it. I don't know why she did it but I know she loved me." The deep scowl marred the boy's face. "But the only side she ever saw was the old me. I'm not that person anymore and I don't want to be ever again."

Zuko twisted up the hem of his pant leg nervously between his fingers. ""I like how I am… No, I _love_ how I am when I'm with you. I want you with me." There was finally a small smile. "Even if you can't make me any pretty babies."

The relief flowed out of Sokka in waves. "Good, 'cause I was having a hard time figuring out where I'd find my own uterus." All was right in the world. Well, except for one thing.

"C'mere." He wrapped his hands around Zuko's face and dragged him down for a not so simple kiss, throwing every bit of enthusiasm his exhausted self could muster.


	7. Foments

A/N: For those that are of age to do so and looking for more adult content there is a (much) smuttier version of the ending is available at my livejournal through the adult content notice. Almost 500 words more of smut.

Feedback is appreciated. Thanks so much to those who respond. Hits sort of went down with the last chapter - not sure if due to the holidays or if people are no longer interested.

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Sokka hummed tunelessly to himself as he rummaged through his pack for another water skin. Hunting with his dad? Oh, yes. This would be a perfect day. They were going to go out and do manly men things. Together. As father and son. Today was going to be greater than great.

_Hmm_. His pack turned up empty. _Not a problem._ There had to be a spare for his dad around somewhere.

An hour later, well, his enthusiasm was dampened a smidge. There were other water skin in this bloody temple, he knew it. He'd seen them. Now they were all… gone.

There were a few storage rooms deeper in the temple's recesses that no one ever went to that were worth checking. Sokka meandered down the pillared corridor hoping his luck would improve.

A flicker of movement up ahead caught his eye. _Hmm._ There was pretty much zero reason for anyone else to be down this way. He couldn't contain his startled gasp when he spotted a large unmistakable silhouette shuffling ahead. _Chit Sang! Knew it! Knew he was up to something. _

Sokka ducked behind a pillar with the hulking man turned back to search the corridor. Thankfully he kept going. All of Sokka's warning bells were ringing as he watched Chit Sang check for witnesses once more before turning the knob in his hand. Counting his breaths, Sokka wanted some time to pass after the door closed to do some proper snooping. He crept up to it for a listen. Chit Sang's base rumbling was easily audible through the heavy wooden door. There was another voice though, too soft to discern.

_Don't like this, no not at all_. Waiting for backup may have been prudent but if there was trouble brewing he wanted to know about it _now_. After a deep breath Sokka booted the door open with all his might.

He struck what he hoped was an intimidating pose in the doorway. "All right Chit Sang! It's all over so you'd better- what the hells is that?!?" His bravado dried up as curiosity took its place.

The center of the room held a funky contraption with metal coils and tubes connected to a large metal vat. Scattered around this piece of machinery was an assortment of jars, bottles and the damned water skins that had been eluding Sokka all morning. Chit Sang sat in the middle of it looking guilty as hell, holding two ceramic flagons.

A bashful voice to his right startled him. "Hey… ah, hey Sokka."

"Teo!" Sokka had suspected that this was going to be the case but he still couldn't believe it. "Would either of you care to explain?"

The giant firebender was on his feet in an instant. "Sorry, Sokka this is my fault. Teo and I got to talking about that cane juice that everyone likes so much and there's a ton of things you can make with it so uh…"

"We built a still." Teo at least had the grace to look embarrassed when he cut the big man off.

"I'm sorry." Sokka's brain refused to process this. "You did _what_?"

"A still. We made it. We're turning the juice into something a little… special." Chit Sang offered a whiff of the contents of one flagon.

_Whoa!_ The fumes of alcohol felt like they were yanking out Sokka's nose hair.

"We figured everyone was in need of a treat!" Teo added brightly. "The first batch is almost done!"

"All right. Umm. I... Just don't blow anything up, okay?" Sokka couldn't decide if he should be relieved that this was something so innocuous or alarmed at the staggering quantity of booze they seemed intent on making. His hands went up in defeat. _Aww, fuck it._ He picked up a water skin and beat a hasty retreat.

* * *

Even with the delayed start, the day's hunting had been spectacular. Sokka had dreamed of hunting with his father for _years_ and the reality wound up being so much better. Their haul wasn't that great but the camaraderie and just having the time to spend one on one had been wonderful. They had lingered so long that they had lost track of time, making them late for dinner. _Dinner_! One of the most important meals of the day and they were late.

Or maybe they weren't too late. The two entered the main chamber slightly confused. Normally, the group would have been done with their meals and in the process of cleaning but they were all still milling about, dishes scattered everywhere.

Katara and Haru seemed to be in deep conversation, though Katara did seem to be speaking quite loudly.

"Now. You _gotta_ tell me ssomething." She leaned in close to the handsome earthbender. "What'sss the deal with…" Her hand vaguely circled her face. "With thisss whole thing?" Was she slurring her words?

Haru stroked his moustache tenderly, looking slightly scandalized. "What? You don't like it?"

"No! Nononono!" His sister weaved slightly, her face scrunched up as if she was having a hard time speaking. "I mean yes! It's nice. It's just so… pointy. Dad!"

Haru was saved from further analysis of his choice of facial hair once Katara lept up to greet her father. Hakoda eased the meat he had strung across his shoulder and staggered a few steps as his daughter tackled him.

"I missed you soooo much!" she crooned, snuggling into his chest like he was a giant stuffed toy.

At first Hakoda smiled easily as he returned her embrace. Then his back stiffened as he caught a whiff. "Katara, are you drunk?"

"I had a little bit of some new stuff the guys made." His sister tried to indicate how teeny, tiny an amount it had been but couldn't get her fingers to work right.

_Balls_. Sokka scanned the room with trepidation. There were an awful lot of empty containers strewn about. And one fucked up Avatar.

_Oh, shit._ Flat on his back, hanging on to a flagon as if his life depended on it was Aang, giggling uncontrollably, body wracked periodically by massive hiccups.

_I'm going to kill them. Slowly and painfully. _"Where. Are. They?"Sokka didn't have to look very far once a wheelchair clipped his heels from behind.

"Whoa, sorry!" Teo threw his chair into reverse with the Duke perched solidly on his lap. "Hey you're back! You should try our stuff. It came out pretty good! Everyone seems to like it!" They took off, Teo completely failing to navigate a straight line, the Duke enthusiastically providing "vroom vroom!" noises as they sped away.

There was a female shriek of outrage that dragged Sokka's attention away from thoughts of murder. _Suki!_ Sokka took off towards the source, Hakoda following at a slower pace with Katara still clinging to him like a sleepy toddler.

"All right, you midget! Let's try that again!" He didn't think Suki was capable of such fury.

The Kyoshi warrior was sitting at a low table with Toph, looking ready to strangle the smug earthbender. Chit Sang hurried to refill the pair of small cups at the table. The ladies both drained their shots in one go. Toph placed her right elbow on the table and simply waited there with her hand raised as if daring Suki to take it.

Grasping the tiny hand in hers, Suki thumped her own elbow on the table. "No bending this time, you little cheat!"

"Aww, feeling a little insecure without the makeup, are we?"

"Easy, ladies. Let's have a clean match this time." Chit Sang clasped the girls' hands in his own huge mitts and adjusted their wrists so they were properly aligned. "Remember, elbows can't leave the table. And earthbending this time. On the count of three. One. Two. Three!" He released the hands in his grasp to let the girls began their battle. It was astonishing watching them arm wrestle. They were pretty evenly matched - Suki had the longer reach but Toph had the strength of a tiny obnoxious bull even without her bending. They groaned and cursed as they swung back and forth, evenly matched as they battled for victory.

Hakoda let out a sigh of resignation over his daughter's head, clearly not wishing to get involved. Katara was already mostly asleep as her father carefully lifted her in his arms. The chief carried her to her bedroll, gently tucking her in to sleep it off.

Sokka felt a sultry whisper tickle his ear. "Hello." Damn it, how could Zuko make a single innocent word give him an instant boner? Hot, hot firebender pressed against his back hands roaming where hands didn't normally roam with an audience present. Sokka's dick cheered enthusiastically at this unexpected development. _Shut up, you!_ Face flashing red hot, he spun on his attacker.

"I like seeing you blush." Zuko's rosy cheeked leer was wicked, debauched and completely -_nngh_-. The prince easily hooked a heel around Sokka's thigh –_pretty damn good balance for a drunk guy, if you thought about it really, and oh my guh- _ letting him grind hard enough to make them both moan.

_PARENT! PARENT! PARENT IN PROXIMITY!_ The thought of Hakoda catching sight of any dry humping pretty much ended any enjoyment for the humpee.

Didn't seem to be slowing down the humper at all though. Not one little bit.

Sokka unhooked himself but couldn't resist sucking on the wet, hot tongue that teased at his lips. Drunk Zuko was so eager, so uninhibited, so… so _pliant_. Find somewhere a little private and the prince would probably do anything Sokka asked. _Anything_. The temptation was terrible.

_Damn it._ It felt too much like taking advantage of the normally restrained boy and that wasn't right. After everything they had been through, the trust they had in each other was precious to him. He wouldn't, couldn't damage that just for a single night of crazy.

Sokka tried to keep this thought in mind as the firebender snaked a hand in between them, getting the sober boy to convulse around a single firm stroke. With a squeak he had to knock the groping hand away to permit his brain to start working again.

The sound of someone clearing their throat pierced through Sokka's swarm of thoughts. He looked helplessly past Zuko's shoulder, hearing his father clear his throat again. Hakoda was desperately trying to look anywhere but at his son with his new horny accessory. "Sokka, I, uh, I know you've got your hands full but... I mean, gah!" The older man shook himself, flustered. "You're busy right now but I just have one question."

It felt like a punch in the gut. Seeing one's father so unsure of himself.

"This isn't some weird firebender thing is it? " Hakoda glanced over his shoulder furtively. "Because if it is I need to make sure I sleep somewhere that Chit Sang won't find me."

_Please make this conversation stop. Please. _"I'm not really sure. My statistical sampling size is a grand total of one-yaah!" Sokka went flying, a sneaky little finger prodding him in a very delicate place on his backside. Upon landing he rounded on the owner of the finger. Zuko appeared to be innocently examining his hands and oh, not at all the type of person who would goose anyone, thank you very much.

Gingerly taking the drunk boy's face in his hands, Sokka searched for any sign of coherence in the half lidded eyes. "You don't know how much I would love to see you this wild when you're sober." He offered a small smirk. "That way you'll remember _everything_ I do to you." Sokka left a chaste kiss on the firebender's forehead. "Can you wait here until I get back?"

Zuko's eyes bored into his, gold blazing like a house afire. With an erratic nod, the firebender sat down heavily, like a puppet whose strings were cut.

With a heavy sigh, Sokka returned to his restless father. "Guess we should check on the others." Hakoda nodded and they moved together.

Thankfully the rest of the crew had descended into a peaceful slumber except for the participants in the arm wrestling war. That seemed to have ended in a truce, with Toph and Suki now occupied with trying to remember verses from an old Earth Kingdom song with Chit Sang's snores adding a loud counterpoint as he dreamed beneath their feet.

"Well, that's a relief." Hakoda's broad shoulders slumped in relief. "At least I don't have to sleep with one eye open. Though it looks like you've still got a long night ahead of you," he said, nodding in Zuko's direction.

_Correction: Zuko's former direction._ In the place where the firebender _had_ been was one absurdly pointy toed Fire Nation boot. _Oh shit._

With a hasty exchange of "Good night", Sokka took off. Zuko hadn't passed them so he must have gone the other way, as if he were leaving the temple. _Crap_.

Briskly walking down the corridor, he slowed at the sight of another boot. Not ten yards ahead was a bit of fabric. He quickened to a sprint. A sock. _What the…_

Sokka followed the path of clothing like a trail of crumbs. A long yellow sash. Another sock. His mouth went dry as he unfurled a spill of red trimmed with yellow at the temple's exit. Zuko's tunic.

_Hoo boy._ Sokka didn't know whether to be alarmed or intrigued at the possibility of finding pants next. Bigger problem was that the tunic was a dead end. Too many ways to go and no more clothes to go by.

But there was a flicker of something off to his right, hints of orange and red. _Fire._ Not wanting to startle a drunk firebender, Sokka quietly inched closer.

There was Zuko. Seated in the center of a clearing, his spine was ramrod straight, sheen of sweat covering his skin. His hands were spread out before him, a small white hot fireball blazing just above them, like the heart of a sun. Normally there was so much movement to firebending, it was amazing to simply watch the play of flames in this quiet moment.

In a heartbeat, the fire was extinguished. Zuko placed his hands on his knees but otherwise remained perfectly still.

Sokka could hear the firebender swallow hard as he took a seat beside him.

"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you in front of your father."

Stone cold sober. The scientific part of Sokka's mind was fascinated at the concept that the boy had burned off the alcohol in his system. He gave himself a shake. _Focus_. "Don't apologize. It was just a surprise to see you so… "

"Stupid?" Zuko finished for him.

"I was going to say 'unrestrained'. My dad was more worried that he'd get mauled by Chit Sang than anything you did." Sokka looked at the other boy cautiously. "It was kind of nice to see you unwind a little."

"It _felt_ nice." Zuko hesitated, not sure if he could let the admission be said out loud. "To just let it all out for once. Growing up, we were never denied anything as long as we were prim and proper on the outside." A deep blush crept up his neck. "Too bad I let myself go a little _too_ much."

"Aww, c'mon. It's good to go crazy sometimes." Scooting closer, Sokka leaned in to hover inches from Zuko's mouth. "You just have to work on your timing."

He could feel Zuko smile as he murmured "Is now a good time?"

"Hmm." Sokka tilted his head as if giving the question serious consideration. "I suppose I could spare a few hours." He knocked the firebender flat on his back and got to work.


	8. Equilibrate

Set during Southern Raiders.

A/N My intent for this series is trying to fit hot Sokka/Zuko action into canon and the lulz in that order. In order to do this I have relied on the time-honored fanfic literary device of Making Some Shit Up so don't look at the details too closely. Personally I found Zuko to be a snarky little bitch for no good reason in this episode. The dark tone of the story made it a little more challenging to find any humor. I tried.

Tl;dr version: this story consists of different reasons for Sokka and Zuko to bone each other. The end.

Let me know what you think.

Warning: a girl gets some action. Must be a sign of the apocalypse.

Smutty edition at my LJ. Extra warnings there.

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"I thought he'd never leave." Sokka poked his head out of his little cave-tent and squinted, hoping beyond hope that this would speed his eyes' adjustment to the darkness. Suki was due to turn up any second and if Zuko was still around things might get really awkward.

_Correction. Even /more/ awkward._

Slight motion to his right. "Suki!" he hissed_. Oh for fuck's sake. _It was Zuko. With a pathetic little whistle, Sokka cringed as he retreated into his tent. _Yep_. _That was totally the least suspicious thing I've ever done_. _Dumbass._ He didn't know why he ever thought this whole crazy plan would go off without a hitch. His buttocks were permanently raw from the number of times the Fates had chewed his ass and spit it out.

Things had particularly gone to shit since they had fled the Western Air Temple. Zuko hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep since they had fled.

Could you blame him? Of all of them, this war was directly personal. An insane father with a fondness for genocide and a fratricidal sister. Everyone viewed them as the enemy -including _yourself_- but they were still _family_.

It made him shudder. At least Sokka knew when Katara threatened to kill him_ she_ was joking.

_Usually_.

If there was something the exact opposite of icing on a cake, then Zuko had that too. Katara still made no attempt to hide her dislike of the boy. Sex was not on the agenda either, the firebender too tightly wound for any sort of … stuff to happen which multiplied the anxiety.

After evening number four of Sokka getting woken up in the wee hours by the other's restlessness, Zuko had stubbornly insisted they sleep apart in hopes that at least one of them would get some sleep.

It had been a lonely couple of nights.

Sokka had broken down and turned to a sympathetic ear in Suki. Who else was he going to talk to? _Oh, hey Katara, can you help me? My boyfriend's dick is broken._

Thankfully the Kyoshi had suggested he learn some weird sounding thing. It was a bit like the freaky shit that Ty Lee liked to do. The poke-poke stuff. _Hmm. That doesn't sound right_. The thing she did with her hands. _Clarification_. That didn't involve Zuko's sister and a strap-on.

Chi releasing techniques Suki had called it. Sokka supposed that it was only natural that other nations had their own variations on the healing techniques of the Water Tribe. It was also totally natural that the young and fit Kyoshi warriors adapted it for use as a sex game. Instant. Ten minute. Orgasm. _TEN MINUTES._

He _knew_ there was a reason he loved the Kyoshi so much.

"Finally!" Suki's cry of exasperation made him jump. With a glance over her shoulder she scooted inside, making sure the tent flap closed behind her. "I thought you said Zuko wasn't spending the night with you anymore." It was amazing how elegant she managed to look taking a seat in her tattered prison garb.

"He's not!" Sokka couldn't keep the worry out of his voice. "He came by to ask me about my mother."

A delicate eyebrow shot to Suki's hairline. "Your _mother_?"

Lips tightened into a grimace he stared into his lap. "I think he's trying to figure out how to earn my sister's trust. I don't like the idea that knowing how my mom died is supposed to help."

Sympathy radiated from her as she offered a sad smile. "I know you're really worried about him but you know if you push him he'll just clam up." Suki offered some consolation with a pat on the back of his hand. "Do you want me to show you that technique some other time? I understand if you want to be alone."

"No, now is fine," he said, not at all convinced it was. Sex might not be the answer for Zuko but if it got Mister GrumpyPants feeling happy with at least one aspect of his life it was a start.

Suki peered around the tent to find a suitable place to set up and laughed. "What's with all the candles?"

"I thought it would help." A little flush colored Sokka's cheeks. "With the mood. And stuff."

Suki's tinkly laugh set him at ease. "You're such a dork."

"I know," he protested bashfully. "But you love it."

Her smile was much happier this time. "That's true." She planted an affectionate smooch on his cheek. "Now remember. You can't use this technique too much or you might fry your brain." Cracking her knuckles, her tone was all business. "Let's get started with a demonstration, shall we? Lie down please."

Sokka complied, curiosity laced with a healthy dose of skepticism. "I don't need to take my pants off or anything do I?"

"What? No. You never seem to be able to keep your pants _on_. You're fine." Her fingers fluttered over a few points on his torso with a simple economy of motion. Suki leaned back, satisfied with her work.

"Is that it?" Sokka took a few deep breaths and flexed his arms. "I was somehow expecting something a little more orgasmy…"

Suki didn't bother waiting for him to finish complaining before she moved a hand up his chest.

_Holysweetmotherof-_ He tried to speak coherently but it came out as a string of mindless babble. Pleasure. Mind numbing, toe curling pleasure. It started as a warm pool of energy at his core radiating wave after wave to pass through his limbs. Just when he thought it was over it would double back on itself like the ripples of a pond disturbed by a stone.

He gulped frantically for air when the effect subsided. "You're the most wonderful person in the universe."

Suki tilted her chin slightly. "Of course I am. Now let's show you how it works so I can fantasize about you doing this to your pouty boyfriend."

--------

Zuko hovered with indecision. The insomnia that had been plaguing him since his sister's attack was messing with his head. How long had it been since he'd heard Sokka's story? One hour? Three? He couldn't tell. Should he tell Katara that he knew who her mother's killers were? He still wasn't sure if feeding her need for revenge the best way to earn back her trust.

It wasn't too surprising to find himself outside Sokka's tent for the second time that evening. He paused at the entrance, hoping he wouldn't be disturbing the boy.

A very un-Sokka-like voice reached his ears. It sounded like Suki. From inside Sokka's tent.

"Lower. Lower. That's the spot."

What was going on?

The voice was much louder now. "Oh dear Kyoshi, _yes_!" The exclamation was throaty, raw. Pure sex.

Zuko's heart hammered impossibly hard in his chest.

A sultry laugh broke up Suki's words as she spoke. "I can't believe how _good_ you are at this." A few more unmistakable moans from her rooted him to the spot.

"What can I say? I had an excellent teacher." You could almost hear the dimples in Sokka's voice.

His exhausted brain went into overdrive.

Suki had been sneaking around Sokka's tent. Sokka called out her name. Waiting for her with roses. And candles.

He felt so stupid.

Stumbling through the dark, Zuko didn't stop until he found himself at the outcropping of rock outside Katara's tent. The stone was hard and unforgiving as he sat to think.

This was his only hope. Katara had been the most honest with her feelings after all. Maybe she wouldn't lie to him– like Sokka, like Suki- if he helped her exact her revenge.

Numbness made the hours fly by.

---------------

_Where the fuck is he?_ Sokka was beside himself with worry. His sister was not speaking to anyone after Aang tried to talk her out of borrowing Appa. Zuko had just up and disappeared. And Sokka had looked. Everywhere. _Their plan is all sorts of fucked up. _Both proud and headstrong, he realized the two benders were way too much alike.

_Eww, eww, eww._ File a comparison of sister and boyfriend under the list of things he'd like to never think about again.

Suki joined him by the campfire. "Any luck finding him?"

All Sokka could offer was a curt shake of the head as he flicked a branch into the fire in frustration. She patted his knee encouragingly. "He'll turn up."

A voice thick with animosity pierced through Sokka's thoughts. "Well don't you two look cozy?" Nearly invisible dressed in black and angrier than Sokka had ever seen him was Zuko.

That voice. It brought back echoes of the arrogant dick of a firebender they had first met at the South Pole.

_What. The. Fuck._ Sokka snapped to his feet. "I've been looking for you all night! I know my sister and you are up to…"

"Why should _you_ care?" Zuko interrupted with a sneer.

That pulled Sokka up short. Had all the benders started taking crazy pills? "What are you talking about? Of _course_ I ca…"

"I _heard_ you in your tent." The gold in Zuko's eyes _burned_. "You and Suki. Having _fun_ last night."

_Oh. Shit._

The gasp of shock that escaped Suki's lips was disastrous.

It confirmed Zuko's every doubt, every suspicion, every fear. The boy screwed his face up trying not to explode.

"I can explain all this." Suki reached out, speaking softly to the furious prince. "It's just one big misundersta…"

"'Oh, Sokka! You're so _good_ at this!'" Zuko scornfully mimicked her sultry words from the night before. "How can I misunderstand _that_?" He pulled from her grasp, shaggy head hanging low like a shield. "I thought you were a warrior. I thought you had honor. I was wrong."

_He's lashing out, he can't… Can't possibly believe what he's saying._ Sokka hoped reason would help. "You're upset and this is all my stupid fault. But you're wrong." He moved closer. "Believe me this wasn't how I wanted it to be but I can show you…"

"Don't touch me!" Zuko flinched violently and made to leave.

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid_. _Stupid stubborn firebender!_ Sokka wet his lips, panic starting to crawl under his skin. He wanted to grab the boy, make him understand. "Please! If you'll listen to me at all right now- please. I'm begging. Please don't go. I know you want to help my sister but there has to be another way. This idea of revenge- it's not worth it. For either of you."

Pulse pounding in his ears, Sokka waited for an answer.

Zuko refused to look at either of them. "Maybe Katara was right. Maybe she loved your mother more than _you_."

His sister's words had been hard enough to hear the first time. Having it thrown in his face a second time was unbearable. Sokka blinked hard to hold back the tears he felt creeping up on him. "You know, there was something I really, really wanted a long time ago. Things changed and I didn't want it anymore." He couldn't keep the tremor out of his words. "And now I want to thank you for giving me a second chance to do what I never got to do back then."

"Yeah?" Zuko's voice was dead, words coming out almost on reflex. "And what's that?"

"This." The feel of his fist smashing into Zuko's cheek as he put the bastard on his ass wasn't anywhere near as satisfying as Sokka hoped it would be. He stalked off with nothing left to say.

-------------

Suki had tried to comfort him in the days after the benders went on their hunt for the Southern Raiders but Sokka was a wreck. The thought of losing the two people he quite possibly loved most in the world made him physically ill. Hanging out at the old wooden dock, Sokka hugged his knees, keeping an eye on the horizon as he waited.

The sight of that giant white ball of fuzz coming in for a landing was bittersweet.

Later that day his sister walked with Sokka along the water's edge, quietly apologizing for her behavior which he happily accepted. Family was amazing. In the blink of an eye, it was a few tears, lots of hugs and all was forgiven.

It was the other one-the fucking stubborn red pantsed pain in the ass. That was going to be the real challenge. Like 'walking into a hive of buzzard wasps after getting dipped in honey' challenging. But Sokka was nothing if not tenacious.

Dinner was more subdued than usual but it was good to see Katara and Zuko finally at peace with one another. Sokka kept trying to catch Zuko's eye across the small campfire but the prince moodily avoided this.

"All right! Enough!" Suki's cry of frustration instantly had all eyes on her except for Zuko who steadfastly picked at his food. Sokka watched her march and stop directly in front of Zuko, hands sternly planted on her hips.

_This can't be good._

The Kyoshi took a deep breath, scowl firmly in place. "You can stop feeling sorry for yourself. We. Weren't. Having. Sex."

_Kill me._

Toph cackled merrily as she picked at her teeth. "Dinner just got a _whole_ lot more interesting."

Eyes impossibly wide, Aang glanced back and forth between the Kyoshi girl and the dumbstruck firebender, listening attentively to ever word.

Zuko looked like he was wondering if he could quickly learn to earthbend so he could create a giant hole for him to crawl in and die. "Puh..pardon?"

"You were wrong. We weren't having sex." Suki gave up a long suffering sigh. "Be_lieve_ me. I know _exactly_ when I last got laid and I _definitely_ haven't been getting any since before I got thrown in Boiling Rock. Damn it." The last part of that was more to herself than for public consumption.

The Kyoshi warrior pulled herself to her full height. "Sokka wasn't cheating on you. He's been worried sick about you for _days_, you moron. And you totally deserved that shot to the face for being such a damn bastard. I'm going to bed." She stomped off, stunned silence in her wake.

"Well, _that_ was _awesome_!" Toph kicked her feet up on a foot rest she summoned up out of nowhere. "You guys should fight more often!"

Sokka put his head in his hands, wishing he would have some _good_ luck for a change.A warm hand on his shoulder surprised the ever-loving crap out of him. He looked up to find gold eyes wordlessly pleading to find somewhere more private.

Taking each other by the hand, they quickly left the rest of the bemused gang behind.

-------

Zuko paced back and forth like a caged animal under Sokka's watchful eye.

"I know what I said was hurtful and I shouldn't have said any of it." The firebender tore at his shaggy head in frustration. "I was just, I felt..." He let out an inarticulate groan. "If you _weren't_ fooling around, then what were you _doing_?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise. Suki was teaching me something. Something I thought would help you."

"Like _what_?"

_Oh, you just had to ask, didn't you?_

Zuko watched in confusion as Sokka tapped out a pattern over the firebender's body.

"Like this." Sokka ran his hand lightly up the other boy's ribcage.

The prince half convulsed in ecstasy as he fell to his knees, the flow of energy overwhelming him. Catching the writhing boy easily, Sokka gently lowered him to the ground, murmuring soft words of nothing in his ear.

"Believe me now?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I doubted you, I'm so sorry." Zuko breathlessly repeated this over and over again, tears falling freely as his brain returned to earth. "I need to apologize to Suki, don't I? Like maybe a million times."

Sokka nodded, happily planting a kiss on the boy's forehead. "She's a good friend."

Sitting upright, Zuko dusted off his tunic. "There's got to be _some_ way I can pay her back."

There was a little snort. "Well, there's one thing that I _know_ she'd like from us," Sokka said, still laughing.

"Tell me."

Leaning in with a whisper, Sokka's lips just brushed the edge of Zuko's ear. Zuko went from wide eyed, to intrigued, to tacit approval in minutes.

Sokka was pretty sure this plan would go either spectacularly right or horribly, horribly wrong. _But this was pretty standard, really_. Leaning back he asked "That okay with you?"

Zuko nodded, resolute. "If that's what she would want, then yes."

So ready to do whatever it took to correct his mistakes. How many terrible things had been done to him to make him that way? Sokka wanted to make sure the boy was never put in that position again. "I love you. Don't forget that."

Their kiss was simple and sweet. They moved on to execute their plan.

---------------

Suki's disembodied head looked less than pleased as it stuck itself out of the flap of her tent. "What do you clowns want?"

Zuko looked adorably bashful. "Can we come in?"

Her sigh was one of resignation. The head disappeared as the flap was shoved aside.

_I take that as a yes._ Sokka led the way and they packed themselves in tight to take a seat in the tiny space, trying not to knock over any candles that lit the interior. Silence stretched out for long, awkward moments.

"So what did you want?" The level of Suki's annoyance was reaching maximum capacity. "Is this supposed to be some kind of intervention? Because I already know the makeup thing is a problem so I…"

"I wanted to apologize!" Zuko blurted. "For lashing out at you. Sokka…" Giant flush of red stained his cheeks. "_Explained_ to me what you guys were doing. I should have talked to you guys instead of jumping to conclusions."

Her expression softened at this raw honesty.

"You've been the most supportive and least judgmental of anyone," Zuko continued. "So I wanted to give you something as a thank you. And Sokka made a suggestion."

Suki glared suspiciously at Sokka who was all smiles. "I think you'll like it," he said innocently.

"And what would that be?" she said, still not convinced.

Zuko held out his hand. "This." With a simple gesture, the candles that ringed her tent were extinguished.

The dark was all encompassing, leaving Suki blind. Her heart started racing as she heard movement close to her. Then… then it raced even faster when two mouths descend on her.

One went for the curve under her ear, cool and playful. The other was giving impossibly hot, long licks along her collar bone.

There was a pause.

"How's this working out for ya?" Sokka asked conversationally from somewhere to her right.

"Stop now…" Her breaths were already coming out in harsh pants. "And I will hunt you down. Kill you both." She reached for them in the dark, but hands forced her upper arms to her sides.

"This is for you." Coarse gravel whispered to her. "Just for you."

She was stripped briskly and laid out for ease of access, fingers kneading at the tension in the bare flesh they found. They took their time working at very knot, every ache, sending pulses of heat straight to her groin until she was a quivering mess.

There were mouths and hands everywhere. Teasing, probing, licking. Everywhere. She lost track of who was what but all of it was wonderful.

It had been too long. She had been missing her warriors. The wave hit her hard, crashing over her, sending her shivering while an intense white light behind her eyes wiped out all rational thought. They petted her gently as she came down from her high, lulling her to sleep. Before she completely drifted off she murmured a drowsy 'Thanks'.

There was a rustle of motion and they were gone.

-----------------

The sun peeked over the horizon making their path back to their tent an easy one to find. It was unusual for Sokka to see the sun rise but this one brought out an enthusiastic leer. _Guess we spent more time on Suki's present than I thought!_

Sokka was totally unprepared for the shove that sent him headfirst into their tent. Zuko descended on him while trying to undress in a hurry, demanding an urgent kiss that had a hint of Suki in the background. There was a blast of light as every candle in the tent burst into flames. Breaking apart, the firebender was almost frantic, pupils so wide that the gold was just a thin band of color.

"What's the rush?" Sokka's dick demanded his mouth shut the fuck up.

A flash of tongue over lips instantly had Sokka's attention.

"Sorry. Poor control. What we did tonight. Now the sunrise," he stammered, words difficult for him to form. "Missed you." The boy was almost shaking as he pulled at Sokka's clothes. "Need you so much."

There was no chance to comment before Sokka got his face eaten in the best way ever by another hot and heavy kiss, tiny candles doing their best to keep up. Zuko backed off, calming himself to have enough control to snuff out the candles with a wave. The flush on his face was completely delicious.

It didn't take long for them to get into a position that they both wanted more than anything. It was rough. It was hard. It was exactly what they needed.

They collapsed together in a spent heap, both of them able to sleep peacefully for the first time in days.


	9. Ablution

You thought I forgot about this series, didn't you? Well, you'd be right. Much smuttier version of this story at my LJ.

-------------------

Ember Island gives everyone a clean slate. Ember Island reveals the true you.

* * *

"But the effects were decent."

Sokka wasn't too surprised at the gang's lack of response. That giant shit pile of a play was the _last_ thing he had expected when he'd found that poster. Zuko _had_ warned them about the theater company's skills (or lack thereof) and they hadn't listened.

_Or /I/ hadn't listened. _

The evening hadn't exactly begun on a good note with Zuko flat out refusing to sit next to him during the show. Sokka was labeled a 'talker' and that was that.

This baseless and most cruel accusation had not gone over well. _Me? Talk all through a performance? /No way_!/

Suki shivered against him in the cool night air so he pulled her closer. "You still cold?"

"You'd think I wouldn't have been freezing my tits off in a Fire Nation theater." Suki rubbed at her arms, desperate for some added warmth in her decidedly minimalist Fire Nation attire. "I hope Zuko didn't get upset at me borrowing you for a blanket."

He gave her an affectionate squeeze. "I don't think so." Sokka looked to the pensive figure at the front of the pack, pulling further and further ahead in his push to get as far from that theater as possible. "At least, I think he's got other things on his mind."

Out of all of them, the prince had taken the most hits. Dishonorable, treacherous and disloyal son that failed miserably in the end. It must have been terrible to see yourself so reviled. Even Aang was made out to be just some harmless, goofy looking kid.

_With a rack. _Sokka shuddered and it wasn't from the chill.

Aang. Aang with boobs. A disturbingly large pair of boobs that were big enough to see even from the cheap seats. _You'd _think_ they would have strapped those bad boys down. Maybe we would have missed this shitty evening all together if they had printed a warning about flying mammaries on my poster…_

_Oh no!_ Sokka stopped dead in his tracks. The others paused, tensing for a fight at his sudden alarm. "We have to go back! Like right now!"

Toph looked highly skeptical as she dug into her ear with a wiggle of her finger. "I'm pretty sure we don't."

"Yeah we do! My poster! I left it at the theater." They all looked at him with little comprehension. "I wanted to keep it!"

A highly varied collection of groans and swear words filtered their way back to him.

"Are you out of your mind?" Katara gave him a glare of death that they handed out to all sisters for use on their idiot brothers. "You actually want something to _remind_ you of that piece of crap?"

"Of _course_!" His lower lip jutted out in Full Pout. "It has my– I mean OUR! _Our_ pictures on it!"

"They might have tossed it by now," offered Zuko. "You could pick up another one in town tomorrow."

Aang glared at the ground at his feet. "Not if I get to them first."

_Well, fuck. _

He turned to Suki, who was already settling into a guard stance. _Ooo, the Pout is no match for this clearly Sokka experienced warrior. Change of tactics. _The Pout transitioned seamlessly to intense Sucking Up_. _"You got me backstage once! Getting me inside when it's empty should be no problem, right?"

"No. No. No!" She turned her back on him, negating any possibility of him using his big counterattack- the Big Blue Eyes of Adorableness. "There is absolutely no _way_ I'm going anywhere near _that_ crap fest again. You can go by yourself when they reopen tomorrow."

He let out a little sniffle. "What if they throw it out?"

"Not! Going!"

Sokka looked around for his one last hope. _Where is my sneaky piece of firebender ass-ah HA!_

Zuko didn't bother restraining his flinch as Sokka excitedly wrapped himself around the firebender in full Whine.

"Please. !" Bounce, bounce, bounce.

"I , uh, I don't want" -bounce- "to go back to" -bounce- "the theater if that's" –bounce- "Will you _knock_ that _off_?"

The bouncing stopped. _Must try bargaining with this one. _ "How 'bout I make it worth your while?" With a little nuzzle to the nape of the neck, Sokka made his offer with a smooth whisper. "I'll be your slave for the day."

"Really?" The crack in Zuko's voice was rather impressive.

_Almost have him. Need to sweeten the pot._ Smile big enough to get dimples popping. Add a little flick of tongue for good measure. "Yup."

Sokka squawked, tumbling headlong at the sudden pull on his arm as Zuko dragged them both back towards town at a dead run.

-----------

The theater looked nowhere near as inviting shrouded in shadows. Sokka scanned the lifeless building with no small amount of trepidation. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

Long divested of his cloak, Zuko was already half way up to the closest window. "C'mon. Not like this is Boiling Rock. We should be done and back home in no time."

"Of course _you'd_ say that! You just wanna get laid!"

Zuko dangled by an arm to shoot him a look of derision. "And you don't?"

_Fair enough. _ A few more seconds and Zuko was gone, disappearing into the darkness. 

"Hey! Wait for me!"

The interior of the building was no less creepy. With a few waves of his hand, Zuko had the wall sconces blazing to chase away the shadows. After a few wrong turns in nearly identical hallways, they reached the stairs to the upper level. Handy little seating chart confirmed they were where they needed to be. He already bounding up the first few steps before Sokka realized he was alone. _What the fuck? _

Zuko was still stuck at the bottom of the stairs, transfixed by the simple line diagram

_What's he doing?_ "Hey, uh, I'm pretty sure we have to go up. Balconies are kinda like that." No response. Sokka hopped back down the steps, not quite sure what to expect.

"All of these seats were filled with people who hated me." Pale hand swept over the chart. "Cheered when I died."

"That wasn't you up there, just some hammy actor. " Sokka inserted himself between Zuko and the object that had him bewitched, pressuring the boy to meet his gaze. "They don't know the _real_ you. "

Zuko sagged against him in surrender. _Oh. Oh, I'm an idiot._

Sokka squeezed as tightly as he could. His brain couldn't restrain his tongue. "I am _so_ sorry for dragging you here for some stupid poster I mean I didn't even _think_ about how you would feel coming back here after that ridiculous death scene and that bunch of audience morons who don't know any better and did I say I was really, really sorry? "

"Who left all these lights on?" Masculine voice of outrage sounded ancient as it echoed through empty halls. "Is somebody here?"

_Oh crap._

"Of course not." There was a put upon sigh. "Nobody _else_ has to be here so late." Whoever it was sounded much closer than either boy would have liked. "I wouldn't still _be_ here if that stupid cow-hippo would just kick my little boats over instead of stomping them flat every show!" Squeal of rusty wheels. "Actors!" Clang of metal. "Little Miss Avatar can repaint her _own_ damn props for all I care!"

The boys tentatively peeked around the corner. Thankfully the grizzled old man had his back to them. What was left of the hair on his head was scavenged into a high little topknot. A huge extravagance of a beard made up for the lack of hair elsewhere. With a surprising show of strength, he pushed his fully laden cart farther along the hallway with ease, both man and cart creaking under the weight of all his tools and buckets.

They retreated. Zuko chewed his lip in alarm. "Old guy's between us and the way we came in."

"Gimme a second." Sokka began drawing an invisible map on his palm with his finger. "There's _got_ to be another exit we can use."

_Whack_! Cry of pain from Zuko and a hard shove had them both staggering back.

"Hoodlums! Miscreants!" the old man roared, another swing of his mop missing them by inches. "You 'fanatics' have some nerve thinking you can keep breaking in here to walk off with all my hard work!"

Sokka held his hands out in supplication as the man advanced on them. "Easy, grandpa! We're not here to steal anything!"

"Can't fool me, boy! It's not the first time I've caught one of _you_ after hours, all dressed up and looking for trinkets!" The little bugger was fast, jabbing Sokka in the gut. "At least the Zuko from last week was _much_ more convincing!"

Zuko danced away from another blow, catching the mop easily. He pulled it free from their attacker's hands with a twist, sending the nutter fleeing behind his cart.

"You got us, old timer." Zuko did little to hide his anger. "But we haven't taken anything. How about you let us go in peace?"

"So you can come back tomorrow night and try again? I don't think so!" The old man slipped the lid off of a bucket and flung the contents at them with a wild cackle.

There was little they could do. It hit them in a thick, slimy wave, blue paint drenching both boys to the skin. With a triumphant little jig, the old bastard unlatched another bucket and prepared to fire a second volley.

Slipping and sliding through a pool of goo, the two boys fled as fast as their sopping wet shoes would let them.

---------------

Cracking the dressing room door just a hair, Sokka managed a quick scan inside. There was a wonderful lack of crazy people, which was pretty fucking fantastic right about now. "All clear!"

Zuko was barely through the door before he was stripping down to nothing. He began flipping roughly through a clothing rack with far too many lacey things on it.

_Ooh. I like where this is going! _ Sokka sat back on his heels to catch an eyeful. "While I don't approve of that guy's methods, it's hard to argue with his results."

With an explosive kick, Zuko knocked over the rack with a loud clatter. "Yeah, well you won't think it's so great if we lead the Ember Island guard straight back to Aang."

"Don't spoil some perfectly good naked time!" Sokka warned as he set the rack upright. "We change clothes and poof! No more paint trail. It'll be fine."

Zuko softened at the admonition. "I'm sorry. I _really_ don't like this place."

Grabbing something fuzzy and orange, Sokka dabbed at still wet streaks of blue on Zuko's skin. "Well, just think that when we get back, you'll still have me at your beck and call for a day."

The gentle cleansing was soothing for both of them. "But we didn't get your poster," Zuko murmured, swaying slightly under the touch.

"Doesn't matter. You shouldn't have come. You came anyway." Sokka gave him a cheeky smile. "You deserve it."

"Then this is the _last_ place I want to spend the day." The firebender plucked free the makeshift towel and hastily scoured off what was left of the paint. "Why aren't you undressed yet?"

"Now _that's_ what I like to hear!"

Undoing the knot to his trousers was unusually challenging. The fabric squished out paint as he fought to untie it. _Damn you knot! Need pants off now!_ His dick wholeheartedly concurred. _Aha_! Finally free of the knot, he let gravity take his trousers to the floor. "Hey if you're done with that towel I think I got something over here that needs some polishing…"

It was sort of a mistake to look up. His brain had always been so good to him so it was kind of cruel to subject it to the image that would paralyze it forever. Thankfully his dick was more than happy to take control of any thinking that was required.

Zuko. Struggling to pour himself into a pair of trousers. Made of leather. Tight leather. Clinging to every bulge and curve like a second skin.

_Want it. _Low moan from Sokka as his knees gave out. _Want to touch it._ "Interesting choice," was the only comment he could manage.

"What? Is this bad?" Zuko glanced down at himself in concern. "They're kind of snug but everything else is either way too big to fight in or frillier than I can handle."

"No!" Knees protested the crawl on hard floors. "They're perfect!" Uncaring of the mess on his hands Sokka grabbed two great handfuls of one great ass. He inched closer, mouthing the butter-soft leather to trace the shape of a not-so-soft cock_. _

_I can now die a happy man._

"Suh…Sokka?"

"Hmm?" Undoing the thin leather lacings with his teeth forced an involuntary thrust of the hips under Sokka's hands. He never realized how good a combination a hint of smoke and leather- real leather, _good_ leather- would be until he could breathe it in, almost tasting it on his tongue.

Zuko _twitched_ as lips brushed against his shaft. "We- ahh! –really should be going."

Rocking back, Sokka let out a whine that sounded like he was having his favorite binky taken away. Which in a way, it was. "Can't we stay like this for a little while?"

"Well, all right. Wait -no!" Letting out a groan of anguish, Zuko tried to tuck himself away. "Let's just get out of here."

Gentle kiss to leather encased thigh. "Yes, Master."

There was an order of "Going! Now!" as Zuko retreated to a safe distance with a distinctly uncomfortable hitch in his gait.

And two very obvious handprints on his rear.

-----------------

To Sokka's disappointment, they had made it home far too exhausted for anything even remotely interesting to happen. He awoke to found Zuko and those lovely, lovely pants gone, with a note that clearly detailed his first task as servant for a day.

_Son of a bitch! This is sadism. And not even the /good/ kind._

It was not often that Sokka found himself up to his armpits in soapy water. Removing dried paint from silk was a lot harder than he thought it would be. There was one tenacious spatter mark that refused to come off. _Give in to me, foul villain!_

In the distance he could hear the tell tale sounds of Aang training with Zuko in attendance. Those pants being involved would _not_ have made Sokka a good audience member. Zuko would probably have not appreciated it if he spent the entire time trying to furiously rub one out.

_Probably_.

Most of the morning was gone by the time he completed his task. Sokka listened for the sound of flames -or swearing since either were equally likely- and heard the crash of boulders instead. _Odd. I thought he and Aang would still be going at it._

The courtyard revealed a distinct lack of prince and a rather pleased looking Toph. "What's up, Snoozles?"

Warning bells went off at her sweet demeanor, looking far too comfortable perched atop her pyramid of rubble. Loose soil shifted slightly under her seat. "Where are your manners?" she asked the pile, suddenly cross. She punched straight down, sending a ripple that got the entire house shaking through its foundation. "Say hi to Sokka!"

Aang's weary voice was still surprisingly audible through several inches of rock. "Hi Sokka."

"Hey, Aang." Had it really been almost a year since this would have seemed anything but normal? "Did Zuko give up on you already?"

"Nah!" Toph shrugged. "He called practice early so I took over."

"He was fine yesterday!" Sokka pointed an accusatory finger at the tiny girl on her throne. "What did you do to my firebender?"

"Nothing! I swear! He said he wasn't feeling that great." Her sudden smile was pure evil. "His pants were probably cutting off the circulation to his head."

Sokka retreated into the house swiftly, not quite wanting to think about to which head Toph was referring. The usual spots were Zuko-free. The only thing left was a section of the house that had gone mostly ignored. Disturbed cobwebs signaled some recent activity. _Where'd he go?_

It was the ornately carved handle on an otherwise ordinary door that caught his attention. No evidence of footprints in the dust past it either. _Must be the place._ The door swung open easily under Sokka's hand, delivering a face full of hot steam.

The room was drenched in ostentatious opulence visible even through the haze. Rushing water echoing off walls of metal and stone. Some sort of bath? Further along there was a trail of clothing including _those_ pants. _Jackpot!_ He almost fell right into it- a huge sunken tub ringed in reds and golds. A massive stylized dragon shot water from its mouth, backlit with candles to create a bizarre illusion of fire. Zuko was mostly submerged underneath this, arms stretched out across the edge of the tub as if presenting himself to the dragon as an offering.

"Nice place you've got here." The heat was already forcing a trail of sweat to trickle along the small of Sokka's back.

A single golden eye opened blearily as Zuko battled against his torpor. "H'lo."

"You know, when I offered to be your slave for a day, I was hoping it would be a lot more sexing and a lot less laundry."

Surprise forced Zuko's other eye to open, head keeping upright with difficulty. "You actually _washed_ my stuff? It was supposed to be a joke." His head lolled back with a -clunk- against the tile. "Guess it's only fair since you left me with those handprints."

Sokka sprawled along the water's edge to brush away a snarl of black hair stuck to a sweaty pale forehead. "You ended training early today. Anything I can help you with?"

The firebender let out a long slow puff of air. "Can you make me forget the entire Fire Nation hates my guts? That would be nice."

"I don't know if I can do that. How 'bout some mind blowing sex instead?"

It was good to see Zuko laugh. "That's your answer to everything!"

Sokka hovered closer, letting their smiles almost touch. "I don't see the problem here. Do you?"

"No. No problem."

The angle was awkward but that didn't keep them from their kiss. The oppressive heat forced them to come up for air sooner than either of them would have liked.

"So what can I do for you? " Sokka asked with a tilt of his head. "Or more importantly – _to_ you?"

Zuko was still quite close, analyzing him with daunting scrutiny. "You don't have to do this you know."

"I want to."

If he wasn't watching those lips, following their movement, Sokka would have thought he was hearing things. "Strip for me."

This was not a question.

A warm spike of arousal went through him, surprising in its intensity. Sokka rose to his feet. There was no show made of it, no playful game. Just a simple revealing of skin and open, undisguised need. "What next, my prince?"

Zuko shook his head, awestruck. "Incredible."

Sokka gave his length a few full strokes and stepped into the bath with an easy swagger. "I'll admit it's pretty impressive, but it's not like this is the first time you've seen the goods."

"No, you ass." A laugh cut the sting out of Zuko's words. "I meant your courage." He settled a hand on Sokka's hip to guide the boy in straddling over him. "So confident even when you're… exposed. I could never do that."

A moment's silence for Sokka to piece together his thoughts. "I've been lucky." There was a small basket of toiletries that suddenly seemed to occupy all of his attention. Some oils, some creams. "I've always had friends, my family, my tribe" He chose a simple bar of soap, square and green. The scent of it was clean, like freshly cut grass. "With them behind me it's been pretty easy."

Briskly creating a rich lather, Sokka raised his hands to the other boy's temples. "There's only been one time that I've had to go it alone, really. Just once."

It was very much like a purr, this delightful, deep throated noise the prince made as fingers other than his own cleansed his scalp.

This prompted an indulgent little smile. _Hedonist. _"It involved Jet. I guess you've met him."

Zuko's eyes shot open at this, his nod almost imperceptible.

"Another thing that ridiculous play got half assed." Sokka shook his head in disgust. "The nutjob was trying to impress Katara. He wanted to get to a handful of Fire Nation soldiers and didn't care if he needed to sacrifice an entire town to do it. I found out and no one believed me. They thought I was just jealous."

The firebender was watching carefully through hooded eyes.

Sokka continued to work through the boy's tangle of black hair as if his words were no big deal. "Maybe I was but being jealous didn't mean it wasn't true. I _hated_ it. Hated the feeling more than anything. The struggle to keep fighting for something that's right when nobody believes in you. So hard to fight your own doubts when everyone tells you you're wrong"

Cupping the water, Sokka brought up great handfuls over Zuko's head, releasing it slowly to gently rinse the suds away. "That's why when I think about what you've done it blows my mind. On the run from your entire nation. You _knew_ we wouldn't welcome you- might even kill you- but you came anyway because that's what you had to do." He let more water cascade over Zuko. "_That's_ courage."

Gathered up by an unnaturally warm body, Sokka let the air be squeezed from his lungs. Lips murmured an "I love you" that tickled his ear.

They cradled each other in silence as they let the words settle over them both.


	10. Maturation

Spoilers for S3 finale, some dialogue lifted from "Avatar Aang" with a few key changes.

Holy crap this made it to the finale. I tried to keep it consistent with canon although there is now one glaring exception. One day the epic road trip to Find Zuko's Mom will happen as a sequel but today is not that day. Hope everyone enjoyed it. Feedback/criticism welcome. Much thanks to everyone who's left feedback along the way. Smuttier version available for those of age at my lj.

* * *

Sokka plunked himself down onto the airship's cold metal deck to better give his foot a proper wiggle. With a fresh splint on his leg felt pretty good. It shouldn't have been surprising that the nation that had a habit of crispifying things made sure that they carried a fully stocked first aid kit. He analyzed his toes as they peeked out of the end of the splint, hyperaware of Suki's warning to keeping checking that she hadn't applied the bandage too tightly. The last thing he needed was to have bits of him falling off.

_Hello foot. _His toes splayed wide in greeting. _Congratulations_. _We managed to help save the world today. Sure, we're heading back in more pieces than we showed up in but everything is still attached which is a plus. Another plus? Not plummeting to a splattery death._

His pinky toe flicked in agreement.

_There's one minus, though. A completely insane egomaniacal minus that we're dragging back to the Fire Nation trussed up like a picken ready for roasting. _

There was a rumble from his belly at the thought of roast picken. He shot his interrupting organ a look of disapproval. "Quiet you! I'm trying to have a conversation here!" _Though a bit of meat _would_ be nice…_

What the airship had in medical supplies it sorely lacked in fresh food stores, which was proof enough for Sokka that Ozai must have surely loathed his people.

_Ah, Ozai. _He directed this thought to his attentive big toe._ Aang seems to think __the Loony Lord __is nothing without his bending but you and I __both __know that the bastard is about as harmless as a cornered rat viper. Hopefully the Fire Nation has a cell big enough to contain all the crazy. _

The splint seemed to swallow his toes as they curled in dismay.

_Hey, now, don't worry little guys. We'll get back and we'll meet up with Katara and Zuko and it'll be like old times. But with less of the being hunted and threats of death and all. I _know_ they took care of Azula. They _had_ to. Cause I would know if something happened to either of them. I would _feel_ it. _His skull clanged against the hollow metal hull behind him. _Right? _

His toes declined to answer.

_Guess I have at least one sensible body part._

The seconds ticked away, each one dragging more painfully than the last as the airship floated serenely through the upper atmosphere. Each second was marked by Sokka pounding his fist into the deck at his hip, loud gong turning the whole ship into a giant metronome.

_Can't this hunk of junk move any faster?_

The airship did not appreciate his abuse and sharply listed to one side, forcing him to catch himself on a support beam.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Suki pulled at few levers as she got the ship leveled out again. "Trying to avoid a little turbulence!"

Toph was a remarkable shade of green. "Please try a little harder!"

Checking the horizon, Suki's face blossomed into a huge smile. "Hold onto your breakfast. We're almost there!"

Scrambling to his feet -_foot_-, Sokka hopped over to join Suki on the flight deck. The rapidly approaching crescent coastline of the capital forced the breath out of him. His telescope appeared and he extended it with a little snap. _C'mon, c'mon. Where do we land this baby?_ Anyone who went around building big fucking ships would build a big fucking dock to put it in and where they were should be pretty obvi- "Whoa!"

"Whoa?" Aang was at Sokka's elbow, his worry radiating from him like a nervous sun. "Is that a good 'whoa' or a bad 'whoa'?"

"It's a fucking awesome 'whoa'." Sokka passed off the telescope to eager hands and leaned across the guard rail, needing his own eyes closer to reassure himself that the telescope had not somehow been lying to him.

It didn't seem possible. A press of bodies swarmed the docks, but it wasn't the usual platoon of soldiers. Instead there were families. Citizens of the Fire Nation without a weapon or a piece of armor among them. Children darting through the throngs, playing tag as their parents simply watched the skies.

Joy warmed Sokka through his fingertips. Katara and Zuko must have done it: taken out Azula. How else to explain all these hopeful, expectant faces? And no soldiers? The return of a single battered and bruised airship probably wouldn't have been cause for Happy Fun Party Time.

Could it be? Could the people of the Fire Nation be _that_ ready to start anew? The nation itself had been under the yoke of generations of the power mad. Maybe they couldn't wait for the return of this brand new Avatar, ready to embrace the peace and tranquility that he would bestow upon them the instant he arrived.

Sokka blanched slightly. _No pressure. Nope. None at all. _

The telescope looked massive in Aang's small hands. He swallowed heavily but couldn't tear his eyes away from what he could see. "I guess word travels fast around here."

"Do I _still_ need to remind you about the 'being blind' thing?" Toph demanded in annoyance. "Somebody's got to tell me why all of you have got your panties in a bunch."

"There's a celebration waiting for us!" Suki's explanation was breathless.

The little earthbender's smile split her face wide open. "Then let's get this hunk of junk on the ground! I love a good party!"

That proved to be a little more challenging than first thought. The hulking great ship had lost much of its fine rudder control so Toph made up the difference her own way, with a flick of the wrist flinging the metal gang plank like a liquid lasso. To the surprise of absolutely no one she was the first to reach land, her arms open wide. "I've missed you _so_ much!" Great big tendrils of earth came up to gently hug her in a rocky embrace, sending a few Fire Nation kids hiding behind their mothers' skirts as they shrieked in delight.

People surged forward, some hoisting a laughing Aang onto their shoulders with shouts and cheers, others quick to relieve Suki of the task of helping deliver Sokka to firm ground. The aura of excitement was infectious.

"Oh, you poor dear!" An old woman set down her basket of groceries and began fussing over Sokka as soon as she spotted him. "Does it hurt?"

"Only a little." He opted to use a judicious amount of lip wibble, taking opportunity to use her distraction in examining his injured leg to discern what delights might possibly be hidden in the basket. He could see little packets of… something. How could it not be tasty? "I am feeling a little weak. If I only had some fire gummies right now I could- OW!"

The woman was too busy rummaging through her things to catch Suki delivering a surgically precise slap to the back of Sokka's head. The sting of rebuke faded quickly once a bag of sizzle crisps got deposited into his lap. "Thanks!" Handful after handful made it into his mouth under the woman's approving gaze. "Theeth ahh deelithious!" he managed while only spraying a few crumbs.

"Anything for friends of the Avatar! My parents told me such wonderful stories when I was a little girl." She leaned in for a conspiratorial wink. "Not all of us were so quick to believe the official history." Her hands went back to the basket which suited Sokka just fine. "Eat up!" she commanded. "There's plenty more. I've been cooking all morning to get ready for the coronation. Prince Zuko will make a wonderful Fire Lord."

_Fire Lord Zuko._ A wave of shock came crashing down, halting Sokka's feeding frenzy. The concept had been so remote, so unobtainable and now here it was: a future newly born that presented a myriad of possibilities too overwhelming to take in all at once.

The old woman mistook his wonder for worry. "I know it's upsetting dear, but try to have faith." She gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "The royal physicians say the prince is expected to make a full recovery."

_Recovery_?

The crisps hit the ground in a messy pile as Sokka fought to rise, throwing out demands to be shown the way to the palace before he ever made it upright.

* * *

"I can go wherever I want, you useless tin plated clown!"

"Sokka, calm down!" Suki hissed in the irate boy's ear, struggling to support Sokka as he tried to jab a finger at the useless tin plated clown in question.

The Imperial guard's expression was hidden by his helmet, but his tight grip on his spear was clear enough. "No one is permitted to disturb Prince Zuko."

"Oh yeah?" Balanced precariously on one leg, Sokka got right in the man's featureless face. "Well, I'll have you know I've disturbed Prince Zuko more times than you can count!"

There was a creak of a heavy door and a hair-loopied head peeked out of the royal bedchamber. "Sokka!" Alarm at his sister's obvious fatigue was washed away by the familiarity of her reprimand. "For once in your life just. Shut. The. Fuck. Up!"

Accommodating his sister's request, he directed a rude gesture at the guard as he shouldered his way past. Suki shot a look of apology as she followed the way inside.

Sokka was all limbs as he wrapped around his sister, peppering her with kisses. "You're okay!"

"And you're not!' Katara tried getting some space between them to better assess his one legged state, but there was little hope of her escaping the Hug of Doom. "What happened?"

"Broke it." He shrugged off her confusion and looked past her to the ornate bed that felt a million miles away. "How's Zuko?"

"Resting. We just finished a healing session." Katara looked him square in the eye, exposing the beginning of her tears. "Azula had a bolt of lightning meant for me but he intercepted it. He risked his life… to… to save mine." She drew a deep breath, her composure beginning to crack at the seams. "Anyway, I'm fine. With a few more sessions he'll be fine too."

His throat was so dry it was painful to swallow. "I need to see him."

The two girls shared a look but said nothing, simply helping him take a seat at Zuko's side with no more fuss.

How small, how pale Zuko looked, all swaddled in bandages. The rich silks and pillows around him created a sea of red luxury that only made him appear more translucent, more frail. His sleep was fitful, exhaustion digging lines across his face.

Sokka fingered an intricate gold tassel, battling the urge to sweep away the lavishness to clear room to curl alongside the other boy. "You need to get better, okay?" He brushed away a lock of unruly hair from the brow that still looked pained even in repose. "'Cause if you don't I'm going to be really pissed."

The caress had the sleeping boy leaning into it. With a wordless murmur Zuko settled deeper into his dreams.

"C'mon." Katara held out a hand of encouragement to her brother. "Your leg needs to get checked out."

It took a few minutes of Sokka watching the rise and fall of breath under layer and layer of gauze before he relented.

The infirmary couldn't have been more pleased to send Sokka on his way, probably due to him doing everything possible to earn the Worst Patient award. A crutch and a whispered 'good riddance' and they wanted nothing more to do with him.

His sister's attempt at offering medical care fared no better. It had been easy for Sokka to spot her nodding off while the Fire Nation physicians completed their exam. When the Water Tribe siblings were finally alone, he stilled her hand as she reached for her water skin.

"I can heal the old fashioned way too ya know," he said wryly. One unfamiliar step after another let him get closer to her. "I managed to survive all the broken bones I had before all this hocusy pocusy stuff and other people need your help more than me."

Katara pursed her lips, fully aware of which other person he meant. "But.. you-" She tried to collect her thoughts to make her case but the dark circles under her eyes did little to help her.

"But nothing," he said, firmer this time. "You're my sister. I love you. Now go get your ass to bed."

Katara gave a weak laugh but her own body was unsteady as her mind vacillated between the healing she wanted to offer and the rest she desperately needed.

His precarious balance was tested as he raised his crutch in a vague threat. "Don't make me limp over there."

She held her hands up in submission. "You stubborn ass."

His dimples showed up for the first time in what felt like years, a little creaky from disuse. "It runs in the family."

"Yes it does." It took Katara standing on tip toes to deliver a kiss to her brother's forehead. Spirits, they had grown so much in the past year and in more ways than one.

Her earnest blue gaze pinned him to the spot. "I know where you're going now that you've gotten rid of me," she said thoroughly chewing her bottom lip as she wrestled with her thoughts. "Take care of each other. You both deserve it."

Those words. They sounded so easy to say. But to have his sister's approval of someone that had fostered such hate, such bitterness in her-

He could have touched the clouds as they parted ways.

* * *

_Fuck_!

The ability to defy gravity hadn't lasted very long. Sokka shifted the crutch under his arm. Somewhere back at the infirmary there were physicians having the last laugh over the torture device they had given him. One or two wrong turns combined with the Fire Nation's fondness for endless corridors and his armpit would never be the same again.

Why hadn't he asked for a cane? He would have looked completely badass and therefore even more awesome.

He _had_ to be getting close. The route popped up behind his eyelids as he tried to remember. _Left, right, another right, second left and ahha!_ A quick glance around the corner and he spotted the guard at Zuko's bedchamber. _You make an excellent landmark, Clowny._

A brisk set of footsteps from behind him echoed off the stone walls. His hampered mobility made it difficult to turn but he didn't need to as a flurry of red and black breezed past him. The pale and pointy figure had him struggling to breath.

_Mai_.

_What happened after Boiling Rock? How… how did she... _Why_ is she… _

His heart sank as he watched her speak to Clowny. The guard easily yielded way to her with a brisk little bow with none of the expected harassment.

_Nononono_.

His brain didn't appreciate the lack of oxygen and Sokka sank to the floor, drowning in a flood of doubt and insecurity. He sprawled out, hoping the cool stone would leach some of the heat from his thoughts.

This moment, this solid-kick-in-the-balls moment had been plaguing him for so long but it still felt too soon. He trusted Zuko, he did- he really, really did- but inner pragmatist Sokka was a fucking bastard echoing his darkest fears.

Shiny new Firelord. Water Tribe nobody.

His eyes snapped shut, a small part of him wishing they were all still sitting around a campfire talking about nothing with danger months away.

"Are you all right?" This shy question from Aang was the last thing he expected to hear.

The boy hovered as Sokka opened himself back up to the outside world. "I'm good. Just taking a little nap."

"I,uh. I've been looking for you." Aang danced back and forth with the agitation normally reserved for those in desperate need to go pee. "I figured you'd be here." His hands fluttered uselessly in Sokka's general vicinity. "Well, not _here_ here but wherever Zuko was kind of here and… aaaand I was wondering if possibly maybe right now is a good time to ask you something?"

It was an impressive string of babble for a novice but hey- the kid _had_ gotten to see the best in action. "You're losing me buddy."

"Katara!" The name was blurted out in a shout. The Avatar who had faced and defeated the monster of his generation turned a bright scarlet as he descended into a frantic mess. "I think I'm in love with Katara and she's your sister and you're one of my best friends and pleasedon'tkillme!"

_Oh, for fuck's sake. _Sokka stared at the arrow on Aang's forehead, glad to already be lying on the floor or his sudden vertigo would have put him there.

_Okay life. Let's try to keep tabs shall we?_

Boyfriend fried. Bad.

But not dead. Good.

Sister no longer having murderous thoughts about said boyfriend. Good.

Said boyfriend's maybe not so ex girlfriend shows up. Bad.

Ex girlfriend gets unrestricted access to said boyfriend. Very, very bad.

Little bald whelp with a tattoo fetish who sounded like his balls hadn't even dropped asking for permission to put the moves on his sister-

He wondered idly if there was any possible way for him to successfully beat himself to death with his crutch.

Aang's air of desperation thickened as the silence continued. "Your sister is kind and smart and pretty and _wonderful_ -"

"Okay!" Sokka snapped in exasperation. "Of course she's awesome. She's _my_ sister."

_Damn it. _

He'd been _so_ looking forward to being the overbearingly protective older brother even if Katara hadn't exactly ever asked for his advice in the romance department. There had been that bland pile of androgyny with poor facial grooming and she ignored him when Sokka had made the right call on the sociopathic forest thug but he supposed that everybody had to learn from their mistakes.

It wasn't like Hurricane Katara needed any help from _him_ if this wasn't what she wanted. If Aang ever pissed her off, the world would be looking for a new Avatar.

"Treat her right," he said finally. _Try to not let her crush you like a bug_ was what he didn't say. "Can you do that?"

The smile on Aang's face grew and grew. "I sure can!" The boy was already halfway down the corridor in his boyish haste. "I won't let you down!"

"I hope so." Sokka's words drifted weakly to the ceiling, too drained in body and soul to move much of anything.

* * *

Zuko snapped awake, trying to shake off the fog clouding his mind. How long had he been asleep? Taking a million joules to the chest had kind of put him off his game. The bedroom didn't help either, the feel of it both familiar and unfamiliar making it wildly disorienting. And his dreams-

Fire and sparks and his fractured, fragmented sister.

Even now when he closed his eyes he could see her- torment eating her up from the inside.

Guarding his ribs, he managed to get out of bed to search for his robes. It had been one- no, two - days since the battle and he remembered little of the aftermath after his adrenaline had ebbed away. What he needed now was answers. News had reached him of Aang's defeat of Ozai but was no information on the others. He'd imagined he'd heard Sokka but that had probably been wishful thinking. A twinge from his shoulder as he struggled with his sleeve and-

"You need some help with that ?"

"Mai!" Shit, did he need to sound so shocked? "You're ok!" She looked flawless, unruffled as usual. "They let you out of prison !"

Well. That was probably the one of the stupider things he'd ever said. How _else_ did she get here? Not like he'd done anything to remedy the situation, but admittedly he'd been a little busy.

Zuko made an awkward attempt at a hug, which Mai neatly sidestepped. All of his alarm bells were going off. Her next step was probably going to be something long and sharp wedged neatly between his shoulder blades.

"My uncle pulled some strings." Mai's touch was gentle as she helped him dress. "And it doesn't hurt when the new Fire Lord is supposed to be your boyfriend."

Oh, crap.

Face down lightning; see it coming straight at him, straight at his heart. Try to take it in any way he could with his uncle's warning echoing in his ears. Feel the searing pain, the energy coursing through his veins. All that he could withstand and he'd do it again if he had to.

Breaking the news to Mai though… that he loved someone else- had been in love with another at the very moment she very nearly threw everything away for him?

A knife in the back was beginning to sound more and more appealing.

But he was no coward. They had been friends for so long he _owed_ it to her to be honest. Whatever she felt, he never intended to lead her on. The note he'd left her had been stupid but he'd never dated anyone before, much less broken up with them.

The truth was easy. Sokka was warmth and passion and tenderness and a whole lot of silliness and he never knew how much he needed all of those things until he'd caught a glimpse of them. No. He'd tell her and she had plenty of reason to hate him but it was the least he could do.

He took a breath deep enough to start from his toes. "Mai, I have to tell-"

"It's over."

"-you something and whuh…" His brain almost sprained itself as it contorted in disbelief.

"What do you mean 'It's over'?"

Mai looked cool and calm. It was different from her mask of boredom. She was serene. Comfortable in her own skin in a way that he'd never seen. "You and me," she said simply. "We're over. Or I should say that we never really were anything to begin with."

He swallowed heavily, heart pounding against his ribcage.

"The note you left should have been enough of a sign but it wasn't until I stood up to Azula that I figured it out." Her elegant fingers adjusted the sash at his waist. "You never loved me," she said without a trace of malice.

"Mai-" Zuko tried take her hand, but she slipped from his grasp.

"You left and you didn't bother asking me if I _wanted_ to come with you!" Her temper flashed white hot for a moment then was gone just as quickly. "I was always an afterthought to you." A small hint of sadness revealed itself as she looked him over. "It took my best friend risking her life for me to show me that I was worth more than being second best."

"You are!" In his desperation he reached out to her and it was a relief that she permitted his touch. "You're worth more than I could ever give you." It was a challenge to calm himself. "Real love is…it's _amazing_ and I'm the happiest I've ever been." A tear trailed down her cheek but he chased it away with his thumb. "You deserve to have someone who loves you as much as you love them."

She molded herself to him to give him the gentlest of hugs. "I'm glad you found someone, even if it wasn't me you were looking for."

Zuko delivered a chaste kiss to the top of her head. "So does this mean you don't hate me anymore ?"

"No, I still think you're a jerk," she murmured, words muffled by his shoulder. "But I'll get over it."

He let out a bark of a laugh. "C'mon. I need to find out what's going on in the outside world."

* * *

The stone floor wasn't getting any more comfortable but Sokka wasn't quite ready to get up yet. Perhaps he could acquire employment as some sort of carpet or maybe a doorstop.

_At least I'd be useful to somebody._

Approaching footsteps should have put him on alert but he couldn't bear to look. There were still plenty of ways this could solidify this day's crown as being the Crappiest Day Ever. Maybe it was his dad turning up to have the Awkward Talk About How Boy Parts Work that they'd never got to have when he was growing up. Having to sit through Hakoda explain where babies come from would just be icing on shit cake.

"Sokka? What the _fuck_ are you doing?"

_Zuko_.

Sokka canted his head back, overjoyed to see an upside-down Zuko healthy enough to storm towards him. That joy was stomped, kicked and set on fire when he spotted the accompanying upside-down Mai. "Oh, nothing," he said breezily, trying to not to cry. "Just hangin' out. On the floor. It's the place all the kids want to be."

"He's one of the Avatar's friends, isn't he?" Mai leaned over the Water Tribe boy, her delicate eyebrow raising the barest fraction of an inch. "I thought he was supposed to be the smart one."

"Yeah but sometimes he's a complete moron." Upside-Down-Zuko looked adorably grumpy. "What are you doing out here? You're hurt!"

Sokka scrambled to sit up. "So are you!"

They began talking over each other, neither more than half listening.

"What did the physicians have to say about your leg? Is anyone else hurt?"

"Everyone's fine. Katara said you could have been killed!"

"You _did_ let the doctors look at it, right? I bet you were a giant pain in the ass to them."

"You know what the doctors said? Princes who get electrocuted should still be in bed!"

"_Knock it off!_" The roar from Mai had the boys wilting into silence. The glare she shot at them was as lethal as anything up her sleeve. "You assholes are perfect for each other."

Without asking, she hauled Sokka back to vertical in one easy tug. Her scrutiny was intense, making him squirm under her gold gaze. "He says you make him happy," she murmured softly. "You're lucky." Once she retrieved the crutch, she extended a slim finger back in the direction of Zuko's bed chamber. "Now both of you idiots: Go!"

Without another word, Mai herded the two to some much needed rest.

* * *

Bed.

Luxurious bed.

Sokka let his hand sweep over silk sheets beside him and found the space cold and empty.

Luxurious bed with no Zuko.

He scowled.

One thing he hadn't expected from the Fire Nation was that they knew how to build an amazingly comfortable bed. Soft in all the right places, it was a thing of beauty to the lazy man. And Sokka was a certified expert in Lazy. If he could figure out a way to store some seal jerky in the headboard after the coronation, he would barricade the royal chamber doors from the inside and the Fire Nation would have to do without its spanking new Fire Lord for a few days.

This idea was nowhere near as appealing if there was no new Fire Lord to spank.

Prying his eyelids open, Sokka made a bleary pass of the room. There was a vaguely Zuko shaped outline, pacing in a Zuko-like manner beside the bed. Occasionally, this Zuko figure would pause in front of an array of robes and vestments that waited patiently for the ceremony that would turn the heir apparent into a freshly made lord. Pale hands would cautiously trace the heavy brocade, before this Zuko figure would start this pattern all over again.

Stretching out to his fingers to his toes, Sokka let loose a full body yawn. "Mornin'."

This got no response.

The cycle continued. Pace. Turn. Pause. Pace. Turn. Pause.

He tried again. "Everything okay?"

"'Everything okay?'" Zuko said flatly as he continued staring at the carpet that marked his path. Pace. Turn. Though now when he reached for the royal robes, his hands would flail as if an invisible barrier blocked his touch. "Everthing's _not_ okay!"

"Your coronation is today." Sokka sat up and gently shifted to let his legs dangle off the edge of the bed. "It's supposed to be a big party, right? It'll going to be awesome."

"A _party_?" A note of hysteria edged into Zuko's words as he took great big gulps of air. "Representatives from all nations will be there and I have to give a _speech_!" His tongue tripped faster and faster, voice pitched higher and higher. "In _front_ of _people_!"

The crutch came up, forcing the bundle of panic to halt in his tracks.

Sokka spoke softly. "Just say what's in your heart and you'll be fine."

"You know how awful I am at this! And this is really important! One wrong word and I could totally screw everything up! Right back at a century of war. All of our hard work would-"

Grabbing a handful of dressing gown, Sokka dragged the neurotic mess in for a kiss. He took his time, keeping it slow and languorous until he could feel Zuko start to come down from his frenzied state.

"You-" he murmured directly into the spot under Zuko's ear. "Need-" Soft bite to tense jaw. "To relax." Lick along curvature of neck.

The firebender was panting still, albeit now for a very different reason. "I'm not so sure this is going to get me to relax."

Careful with his splint, Sokka hooked his legs around the other boy's waist and reeled Zuko in. "Sure it will." His smirk was pure evil. "If you do it right."

It was easy to feel Zuko firming against him with the thin dressing gown the only thing between them. So Sokka arched into him.

Friction of hip against hip. Hardness against hardness with only the slip of silk in between.

So simple, yet just right.

Zuko was in a daze grinding against him. "I see your point and think this merits further investigation."

"See!" A laugh erupted from Sokka that he had no desire to contain. "You're already talking like a politician!"

-fin-


End file.
